what is philosopy?

Question

wondering to wonder

Answer 1

Literally it means love of wisdom. (from the Greek word 'philos' meaning love and the word 'sophia' meaning wisdom) Originally all of today's subject areas in education were lumped together under the banner of Philosophy. These days we have divided learning into many subject areas and sub-categories.

The formal study of Philosophy these days includes subjects such as ethics (the concept of right and wrong), epistomology (the nature of knowledge itself), logic (objective anaylsis of truth) and metaphysics (abstract thought).

You can also have Philosophy of Education (what is education and how and why do we do it) and Philosophy of X (what is X and how and why do we do X). A lot of it has to do with defining terms and clarifying difficult questions.

However to me it just means thinking about stuff.

Answer 2

Philosophy is the discipline concerned with questions of how one should live; what sorts of things exist and what are their essential natures; what counts as genuine knowledge; and what are the correct principles of reasoning.

Answer 3

Philosophy is a quest for a comprehensive understanding of human existence. The objective of philosophy is to consider the rational justification of logical inferences, human values, criteria for establishing the claims of knowledge and certainly, and intepretations of the nature of reality. The diverse insights of significant philosophers from ancient times to the present contribute resources to stimulate contemporary philosophical thinking in each of these areas.

A major in philosophy prepares students generally for careers in areas which require the ability to analyze problems and to think and write clearly. It is an appropriate major for students planning to continue their education for professional careers such as law, medicine and theology.

Philosophy is quite unlike any other field. It is unique both in its methods and in the nature and breadth of its subject matter. Philosophy pursues questions in every dimension of human life, and its techniques apply to problems in any field of study or endeavor. No brief definition expresses the richness and variety of philosophy. It may be described in many ways. It is a reasoned pursuit of fundamental truths, a quest for understanding, a study of principles of conduct. It seeks to establish standards of evidence, to provide rational methods of resolving conflicts, and to create techniques for evaluating ideas and arguments. Philosophy develops the capacity to see the world from the perspective of other individuals and other cultures; it enhances one's ability to perceive the relationships among the various fields of study; and it deepens one's sense of the meaning and varieties of human experience.

This short description of philosophy could be greatly extended, but let us instead illustrate some of the points. As the systematic study of ideas and issues, philosophy may examine concepts and views drawn from science, art, religion, politics, or any other realm. Philosophical appraisal of ideas and issues takes many forms, but philosophical studies often focus on the meaning of an idea and on its basis, coherence, and relations to other ideas. Consider, for instance, democracy. What is it? What justifies it as a system of government? Can a democracy allow the people to vote away their own rights? And how is it related to political liberty? Consider human knowledge. What is its nature and extent? Must we always have evidence in order to know? What can we know about the thoughts and feelings of others, or about the future? What kind of knowledge, if any, is fundamental? Similar kinds of questions arise concerning art, morality, religion, science, and each of the major areas of human activity. Philosophy explores all of them. It views them both microscopically and from the wide perspective of the larger concerns of human existence.


hope that answers your question..........i leave the rest to you...........