“PHILOSOPHY AND THE SEARCH OF WISDOM” Mrs. Karen Hernández 10th Grade

LEARNING OBJECTIVES  What is Philosophy?  What are the Primary Areas of Philosophy?  What is an Archetype?  How does an Archetype differs from an Stereotype?  What is Wisdom?  What is knowledge?  What is belief?

Philosophy  Philosophy is already an important part of our life. The word Philosophy comes from Greek roots meaning “ The Love of Wisdom’’, The earliest philosophers were considered wise men and women, or sages, because they devoted themselves to asking ‘’Big Questions’’.  Philosophy was a way for living, not a way of making a living.  You dont have to be a philosopher to ask philosophical questions, you just have to be a naturally curious thoughtful person, these are some kinds of questions philosophers study:

 Does God exist?  What’s the meaning of life?  Why do innocent people suffer?  Is everything a matter of opinion?  What is the best form of government?  How are minds connected to bodies?  Is there a standard for right or wrong for everyone, or are moral standards relative?  Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?

Areas of Philosophy The primary areas of philosophy are listed here:  Metaphysics: The part of philosophy that is concerned with the basic causes and nature of things it encompasses the study of what is sometimes termed “ultimate reality’’, metaphysics raises questions about reality that go beyond sense experience, beyond ordinary science.  Epistemology:from the Greek for ‘’knowledge’’, is the branch of philosophy that asks questions about knowledge, its nature and origins, and whether or not it is even posible.

 Ethics: From the Greek word ‘’ethos’’, encompasses the study of moral problems, practical reasoning, right and wrong, good and bad, virtues and vices, character, moral duty, and related issues involving the nature, origins and scope of moral values.  Social and Political Philosophy: Are concerned with the nature and origins of the state government, exercise of power, effects of social institutions on individuals, ethnicity, gender, social status and the strengths and weaknesses of different types of societies.  Other important areas of philosophy include Logic, the study of the rules of correct reasoning. Axiology, the study of values; Aesthetics, the study of perception, feelings and judgements of ideas related to art, beauty and objects in general, and Ontology the study of being and what it means to exist.

Classwork  Find a partner, choose two questions from the most common philosophical questions and try to answer them.  Share results.