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TORIBIO, JAKE BRYAN G. RATING:

BSMARE 2A 07/25/2020

WHAT IS PHILISOPHY?
 philosophy, (from Greek, by way of Latin, philosophia, “love of wisdom”) the rational,
abstract, and methodical consideration of reality as a whole or of fundamental dimensions
of human existence and experience. Philosophical inquiry is a central element in the
intellectual history of many civilizations.

 the discipline concerned with questions of how one should live (ethics); what sorts of
things exist and what are their essential natures (metaphysics); what counts as genuine
knowledge (epistemology); and what are the correct principles of reasoning (logic)
(Wikipedia)

 investigation of the nature, causes, or principles of reality, knowledge, or values, based

on logical reasoning rather than empirical methods (American Heritage Dictionary)

 the study of the ultimate nature of existence, reality, knowledge and goodness, as
discoverable by human reasoning (Penguin English Dictionary)

 the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics
(WordNet)

 the search for knowledge and truth, especially about the nature of man and his behavior
and beliefs (Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary)

 the rational and critical inquiry into basic principles (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia)

 the study of the most general and abstract features of the world and categories with which
we think: mind, matter, reason, proof, truth, etc. (Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy)

 careful thought about the fundamental nature of the world, the grounds for human
knowledge, and the evaluation of human conduct (The Philosophy Pages)

 As used originally by the ancient Greeks, the term "philosophy" meant the pursuit of
knowledge for its own sake, and comprised ALL areas of speculative thought, including
the arts, sciences and religion.

 Philosophical questions (unlike those of the sciences) are usually foundational and
abstract in nature. Philosophy is done primarily through reflection and does not tend to
rely on experiment, although the methods used to study it may be analogous to those used
in the study of the natural sciences.

 In common usage, it sometimes carries the sense of unproductive or frivolous musings,

but over the centuries it has produced some of the most important original thought, and
its contribution to politics, sociology, mathematics, science and literature has been
inestimable. Although the study of philosophy may not yield "the meaning of life, the
universe and everything", many philosophers believe that it is important that each of us
examines such questions and even that an unexamined life is not worth living. It also
provides a good way of learning to think more clearly about a wide range of issues, and
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its methods of analyzing arguments can be useful in a variety of situations in other areas
of life.

 Philosophy is such a huge subject that it is difficult to know how to break it down into
manageable and logical sections. Perhaps the most basic overall split at the highest level
is geographical, between Eastern Philosophy and Western Philosophy (with, arguably,
African Philosophy as a possible third branch at this level).

 The derivation of the word "philosophy" from the Greek is suggested by the following
words and word-fragments.
o philo—love of, affinity for, liking of
o philander—to engage in love affairs frivolously
o philanthropy—love of mankind in general
o philately—postage stamps hobby
o phile—(as in "anglophile") one having a love for
o philology—having a liking for words
o sophos—wisdom
o sophist—lit. one who loves knowledge
o sophomore—wise and moros—foolish; i.e. one who thinks he knows many things
o sophisticated—one who is knowledgeable

 A suggested definition for our beginning study is as follows.

o Philosophy is the systematic inquiry into the principles and presuppositions of any
field of study.
o From a psychological point of view, philosophy is an attitude, an approach, or a
calling to answer or to ask, or even to comment upon certain peculiar problems
(i.e., specifically the kinds of problems usually relegated to the main branches
discussed below in Section II).
o There is, perhaps, no one single sense of the word "philosophy." Eventually many
writers abandon the attempt to define philosophy and, instead, turn to the kinds of
things philosophers do.
o What is involved in the study of philosophy involves is described by the London
Times in an article dealing with the 20th World Congress of Philosophy: "The
great virtue of philosophy is that it teaches not what to think, but how to think. It
is the study of meaning, of the principles underlying conduct, thought and
knowledge. The skills it hones are the ability to analyse, to question orthodoxies
and to express things clearly. However arcane some philosophical texts may be …
the ability to formulate questions and follow arguments is the essence of
education."
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BRANCHES OF PHILISOPHY

Aesthetics

Aesthetics is study of the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and the creation of personal kinds of
truth

 Applied aesthetics – application of the philosophy of aesthetics to art and culture.

Epistemology

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that studies the source, nature and validity of
knowledge. Central questions -
1. How is knowledge different from belief?
2. What can we know?
3. How does knowledge arise?
4. Can there be objective knowledge?

Ethics

Ethics – study of the right, the good, and the valuable

 Applied ethics – philosophical examination, from a moral standpoint, of particular issues

in private and public life that are matters of moral judgment. It is thus the attempts to use
philosophical methods to identify the morally correct course of action in various fields of
human life.
 Decision ethics – ethical theories and ethical decision
processes
 Environmental ethics – studies ethical issues concerning
the non-human world. It exerts influence on a large range of disciplines
including environmental law, environmental sociology,
ecotheology, ecological economics, ecology and environmental geography.
 Professional ethics – ethics to improve professionalism
 Computer ethics – deals with how computing
professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct
 Ethics of artificial intelligence  – specific
to robots and other artificially intelligentbeings.
 Research ethics – application of fundamental ethical
principles to a variety of topics involving research, including scientific research.
 Bioethics – study of the typically controversial ethical
issues emerging from new situations and possibilities brought about by advances in
biology and medicine.
 Medical ethics – ethics to improve basic health needs of
humans
 Business ethics – individual based morals to improve
ethics in a business environment
 Organizational ethics – ethics among organizations
 Social ethics – ethics among nations and as one global
unit
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 Descriptive ethics – study of people's beliefs about

morality
 Normative ethics – study of ethical theories that
prescribe how people ought to act
 Metaethics – branch of ethics that seeks to understand the nature of
ethical properties, statements, attitudes, and judgments

Logic

Logic – the systematic study of the form of valid inference and reason. Ability to test arguments
for logical consistency and understanding the logical consequences of certain assumptions.

 Propositional logic
 Predicate logic
 Modal logic

Metaphysics

Metaphysics – traditional branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental

nature of being and the world that encompasses it. Metaphysics attempts to answer two basic
questions in the broadest possible terms: "What is ultimately there?" and, "What is it like?"

 Ontology – philosophical study of the nature of being, becoming, existence, or reality, as

well as the basic categories of being and their relations.

 Philosophy of mind – studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions,
mental properties, consciousness, and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the
brain.

 Philosophy of space and time – branch of philosophy concerned with the issues
surrounding the ontology, epistemology, and character of space and time.

 Philosophy of action – theories about the processes causing willful human bodily
movements of a more or less complex kind. This area of thought has attracted the strong interest
of philosophers ever since Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (Third Book).