INTRO TO PHILOSOPHY THINK CLEARLY. REASON CAREFULLY. STAND ON TRUTH Grades 9-12
This high school course equips students to think critically and evaluate ideas through a biblical worldview. Students explore foundational questions of truth, knowledge, morality, and human nature while examining how philosophy shapes culture and society. Through analysis, discussion, and a capstone project, students learn to articulate and defend a personal philosophy grounded in Scripture.
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Exercise 2 Day 2
Exercise 3 Day 3
In Romans 1, Paul makes a similar argument: “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Rom. 1:21). Paul claims people know what is right even though they don’t give credit to God for that knowledge. 4. What does Paul say about the ability of non- Christians to know moral truth? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________
truth and the certainty of knowledge. is leaves them oating around in a virtual outer space of disillusionment and confusion. We want to discover how we can know truth with certainty and be prepared to face life with con dence rather than bewilderment. Listen to Jesus’ words about the importance of having a rm foundation to stand under the building of your life: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a ood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great” (Luke 6:46–49). 4. When we think about the word “understanding,” a foundation is what “stands under” the rest of the building. What did Jesus say should be our life’s foundation in Luke 6:46–49? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________
2. What was Descartes’ argument for why he was certain of his existence? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Etymology of Epistemology e word Etymology means the study of the history or origin of a word. It examines the roots that make up the word. e word Epistemology comes from the Greek language (just as many ideas or philosophies trace their modern inception or beginning to the Greek philosophers). Two words combine to make up Epistemology: Episteme , which means “Knowledge,” and Logos which is the study or discipline of a matter. Actually, if we dig a little deeper, we nd the Ionic Greek word, epistasthai , (the parent concept of episteme ) which means to “stand over,” or “overstand.” It has the concept of standing on a foundation, with something rm underneath you. is is where we get the idea of having an “under-standing.” 3. What does “Epistemology” mean? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ To know anything with certainty, you need to have something solid under your feet. at is what this entire course is designed to do. You need a proper understanding (or foundation) on which to build your life. Many people question the knowability of
In terms of moral knowledge, Paul speaks about Particularism in Romans 2 when he explains how people know certain things to be morally right or wrong even though they do not have a relationship with God. “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ey show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their con icting thoughts accuse or even excuse them” (Rom. 2:14–15). Paul’s argument is that God has given each person (including non-Christians) a moral conscience.
Lesson 1, Exercise 2, Day 2
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Lesson 1, Exercise 3, Day 3
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Generalism is the view that unless you know why you know something, you don’t truly understand it. 2. What is generalism? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ I can tell you that a bicycle is red, but I would have a much more di cult time describing to you the nature of redness. I probably couldn’t tell you what “red” actually is or what makes something red versus another color. So, I can identify a thing without truly understanding what comprises its essence. Generalism would insist that I don’t really know that a bicycle is “actually” red in any kind of meaningful or scienti c manner. Particularism would say I know red when I see it, even though I don’t understand what makes something red. In terms of the laws of the universe, we learn certain things from observation and experience and can extrapolate out those experiences to form conclusions about what will happen in the future. For example, if we see dark rain clouds forming, we may assume that it is going to rain, even though we can’t give a very scienti c explanation for why we feel the way we do. 3. What are some ways we come to know the truth about a matter? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY “I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth” (1 John 2:21). SPIRITUAL IMPLICATION John assumes that truth is objective and knowable, and God’s people, in particular, have accurate knowledge of it.
street to avoid them (assuming they intend to harm us). If we see a man in a bank with a mask, we might call the police. If we see two young men wearing white shirts and black ties while riding bicycles, we might assume they are promoting a certain religion. We have made associations based on previous experience (or maybe movies we’ve watched or books we’ve read). But these prior assumptions can sometimes mislead us. Perhaps it won’t rain a er all. It could be the young men are headed to a baseball game in street clothes. e man in the bank might have a skin condition that requires him to keep his face covered. e two men on bikes might be—okay, they are probably promoting a religion. But you get the point. Sometimes our assumptions help us, but they have limits. “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24). 3. What are some of your most basic assumptions about life? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY “ e natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14).
Particularism vs Generalism (Epistemological Methodology) Particularism is the idea that you can know something without knowing how you know it. 1. What is particularism? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Ever see a picture on a wall that was tilted just slightly? If you have any perfectionistic tendencies, I’m guessing you felt a compulsion to walk over and adjust it and make it straight. Why did you do so? Did you get a tape measure out and ensure that it was exactly the same distance from each corner to each comparable wall or ceiling? No. You just knew it was crooked. How? Because you have an innate knowledge of what “straight” is supposed to be. How did you acquire a concept of “straight” or “normal” that helps you recognize when something is out of place? Well, some would argue experience (seeing things the correct way over and over until your subconscious recognized it) and some would say your rational mind just did the calculations. We will dig into that larger debate of Rationalism versus Empiricism later.
Presuppositions Presuppositions are things we presume to be true before we have had experience with the given situation. In Latin, we call these a priori assumptions (meaning we assume them to be true prior to any supporting evidence). 1. What is a presupposition? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ 2. What is an axiom? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ In mathematics, presuppositions are referred to as axioms (a fundamental statement or principle that is accepted as true without proof). While assumptions are inevitable (we all make them) we need to be careful, because we could have a false starting point that could lead us to wrong conclusions. For example, when we see dark clouds, we grab an umbrella. If we see someone who isn’t wearing a wedding band, we assume they are single. If we see children with two adults, we assume the adults are the parents of those children. In all these situations, we could be judging wrongly. If we see a group of young men walking toward us carrying baseball bats, we might quickly cross the
Application Question: 5. Paul teaches that even people without the Bible still know moral truth because it is written on their hearts (Romans 2:14 -15). How does this idea shape your understanding of where moral knowledge comes from? Does this support Particularism, Generalism, or both? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________
Application Question: 5. Identify one belief you currently hold (about God, people, morality, or reality). What evidence supports it, and how do you know it’s true rather than just something you’ve assumed? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________
SPIRITUAL IMPLICATION
Unregenerate persons have their own presuppositions, but they don’t begin with biblical ones, so they are o en spiritually deceived.
Epistemology
Lesson 1, Exercise 2, Day 2 21
Epistemology
Lesson 1, Exercise 3, Day 3 23
20 Lesson 1, Exercise 1, Day 1
Philosophy
22 Lesson 1, Exercise 2, Day 2
Philosophy
WHAT STUDENTS WILL LEARN • How major worldviews and philosophies influence beliefs, behavior, and culture • How to identify assumptions and evaluate arguments logically
• How to compare secular philosophies with biblical truth • How ideas shape ethics, politics, psychology, and the arts • How to clearly articulate a Scripture-based personal philosophy
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