BETWEEN THE PATHS OF PHILOSOPHY AND PHILOSOPHIZING

Abstract

The present theoretical research addresses the essential distinction between the categories of "philosophizing" (filosofar) and "philosophy" (filosofía) due to the recurrent conceptual confusion in secondary education, where the impact of this subject area on students' lives is often insufficient. The study aims to generate a corpus based on the reflexivity of being and life in Colombian secondary school students. Methodologically, the interpretive paradigm and the phenomenological-hermeneutic method are employed for theoretical clarification. A metaphilosophical difference is established: philosophizing is the present, dynamic, and ethical action, nourished by the ontological reality and existential doubt of the individual. It requires authenticity and relates to the body as the center of gravity for reflection (Díaz-Sterlinng, 2023; Romero, 2023). In contrast, philosophy is the past act, the conceptual archive, and the systematization of historical doctrines (UNESCO, 2011). The analysis reveals that while philosophy provides the theoretical framework for critical reading, it must break free from being merely a dogma (García, 2023) to drive philosophizing, which manifests in practical political formation (Berrio, 2021) and the development of soft skills in the digital age (Vivas Ceballos, 2025). Everyday experience stands as the backbone of philosophizing (Lascevena, 2024), providing meaning to existence in the face of nihilism and the uncertainties of life (Maza y García, 2022). It is concluded that both categories are not mutually exclusive but interdependent, with philosophizing being the vital action that constantly illuminates and gives meaning to philosophical knowledge.