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A large percentage of population unfortunately doesn't know the true meaning of philosophy. The other day one of my friends asked me to define philosophy because sometimes he got quite confused. Well I'm here to tell you not only the true meaning of philosophy but also its importance.
Philosophy is a field of study that concerns existence and reality. In essence, philosophy can be applied to almost any body of knowledge. Examples being, the philosophy of science, the philosophy of mathematics, and even the philosophy of logic. What makes philosophy so important is it's systematic approach of how it goes about solving a problem. It's premises are founded in rational arguments and relies on logical concepts. Philosophy can be further divided into sub fields, ones which intellectuals use to study the nature of the universe. The sub fields are as followed.
Metaphysics - Is there a god?
Metaphysics is the study of the nature of reality. They seek to understand what exists in the world. What are the laws that govern it. Concepts such as existence, time, mind-body problem; all exist within metaphysics.
Logic - What is reason?
Logic studies arguments themselves. It aims to seek out the principles of rational though and correct reasoning. Concepts such as logical fallacies, arguments, inferences; all exist within logic.
Epistemology - What is knowledge?
Epistemology is the study of knowledge, it is concerned with what we know about the world. Concepts such as truth, belief, skepticism, and rationalism; all exist within epistemology
Ethics - What is moral?
Ethics is the study of the best ways that we should conduct ourselves. They concern themselves with what is right and wrong. Concepts such as morality, objectivity, subjectivity; all exist within ethics.
Role of Philosophy
In simplest terms, philosophy is used to solve problems and conditions that arise from fault reasoning. As such, it encompasses several fields. Such as John Locke who theorized that every man is born with natural rights, "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." Without his contribution, the independence movement nor any revolution that followed might never have happened.
His papers rejected the divine right theory, and lead to several political philosophies such as liberalism. In fact, every civilization that has ever had a golden age has a sharp rise in philosophers around that time. A notable example would the Ancient Greeks and the philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Philosophy is truly a driving force, behind the evolution of knowledge.
- Philosophy of Law
- Philosophy of Literature
- Philosophy of LanguagePhilosophy of History
- Philosophy of Religion
- Philosophy of Mind
- Philosophy of Science
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