Philosophy
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See also Philosopher
Philosophy refers to the study of fundamental questions concerning existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. It is both an academic discipline and a broader approach to understanding the world through critical thinking and rational inquiry. Philosophy is often divided into branches such as metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, logic, and aesthetics. The practice of philosophy seeks to analyze and clarify complex concepts, providing frameworks for addressing both abstract and practical problems. The first recorded use of philosophy in the English language dates back to the 14th century, around 1300.
The etymology of philosophy originates from the Greek term “philosophia,” meaning “love of wisdom,” derived from “philos” (loving) and “sophia” (wisdom). The concept of philosophy began in ancient Greece, where thinkers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle laid the foundations for Western philosophy. The term transitioned into Latin as “philosophia” and then into Old French before entering English. The evolution of philosophy reflects its enduring role in shaping human thought and addressing the most profound questions about life and the universe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/philosophy
- Snippet from Wikipedia: Philosophy
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, value, mind, and language. It is a rational and critical inquiry that reflects on its methods and assumptions.
Historically, many of the individual sciences, such as physics and psychology, formed part of philosophy. However, they are considered separate academic disciplines in the modern sense of the term. Influential traditions in the history of philosophy include Western, Arabic–Persian, Indian, and Chinese philosophy. Western philosophy originated in Ancient Greece and covers a wide area of philosophical subfields. A central topic in Arabic–Persian philosophy is the relation between reason and revelation. Indian philosophy combines the spiritual problem of how to reach enlightenment with the exploration of the nature of reality and the ways of arriving at knowledge. Chinese philosophy focuses principally on practical issues about right social conduct, government, and self-cultivation.
Major branches of philosophy are epistemology, ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Epistemology studies what knowledge is and how to acquire it. Ethics investigates moral principles and what constitutes right conduct. Logic is the study of correct reasoning and explores how good arguments can be distinguished from bad ones. Metaphysics examines the most general features of reality, existence, objects, and properties. Other subfields are aesthetics, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, philosophy of science, philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of history, and political philosophy. Within each branch, there are competing schools of philosophy that promote different principles, theories, or methods.
Philosophers use a great variety of methods to arrive at philosophical knowledge. They include conceptual analysis, reliance on common sense and intuitions, use of thought experiments, analysis of ordinary language, description of experience, and critical questioning. Philosophy is related to many other fields, including the sciences, mathematics, business, law, and journalism. It provides an interdisciplinary perspective and studies the scope and fundamental concepts of these fields. It also investigates their methods and ethical implications.