What is Philosophy? Part 2

Now that we have overviewed philosophers I'd like to take a quick moment to define a few important concepts and definitions that will be foundational in our discussions.


Etymology is the derivation of a word. For example, the etymology of 'philosophy,' (or in Greek, Philosophia) breaks down to 'Philo' (to love) and 'Sophia' (knowledge or wisdom), so the root of the word means 'the love of knowledge or wisdom.'


Theory is a coherent group of general propositions used as principles of explanation for a class of phenomena. Theories are explanations for a set of known facts. 

• Theories can fall into three main sorting categories - Grand Theory, Small Theory, and Sub Theory. These umbrella into one another. Grand theories are broad, small theories fit within grand theories, and sub theories fit within small theories.

Branches of Philosophy

The six main branches of philosophy you should know for AE are Logic, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Ethics, Axiology, and Politics. We will also touch on Aesthetics.


Logic (from the Greek logos: 'a meaningful word'). (1) "The art of reasoning" (dialectic): the study of sound and unsound reasoning, of valid and invalid argument. (2) The study of the "logic of language": of signs versus their meanings, of sense versus nonsense, of definition, and clarity and obscurity, -- not for its own sake but only as it affects philosophical problems (Logic is therefore different from the Philosophy of Language).
http://www.roangelo.net/logwitt/philosophy-origin.html


Epistemology is the study of “knowledge.” Epistemology deals with the process by which we can know that something is true. It addresses questions such as:

--What can I know?

--How is knowledge acquired?

--Can we be certain of anything?

Within epistemology there are two important categories—rationalism and empiricism.

Rationalism stresses reason as the most important element in knowing. Rationalism holds that knowledge is gained primarily through the mind. It also asserts that we are born with innate ideas that precede any experiences we may have with our physical senses.

Empiricism, on the other hand, asserts that all our knowledge comes from our five senses. To use the terminology of the empiricist, John Locke, our minds are a “blank slate” at birth. Thus knowledge comes from our experiences.

http://www.theologicalstudies.org/articles/article/1527417/17150.htm


Metaphysics is the study of the true nature of reality - forms the basis from which we perceive and give meaning to our world. As such, how we understand metaphysics forms the foundation for all other philosophical studies, and how we apply our resulting belief systems to our lives.


Why is the study of Metaphysics so important?
I think Landauer and Rowlands (http://www.importanceofphilosophy.com/) say it best...
"The degree to which our metaphysical worldview is correct is the degree to which we are able to comprehend the world, and act accordingly. Without this firm foundation, all knowledge becomes suspect. Any flaw in our view of reality will make it more difficult to live."


Metaphysics - our understanding of who we are, why we are here, how to behave, what is good and bad, etc. - also forms the foundation for our spiritual and religious beliefs and practices.
http://www.metaphysics-for-life.com/branches-of-philosophy.html


Ontology is derived from the Greek word for being, but a 17-century coinage for the branch of metaphysics that concerns itself with what exists. From Simon Blackburn, _The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy_ (London, Oxford University Press: 1994), 269


Ethics is the branch of study dealing with what is the proper course of action for man. It answers the question, "What do I do?" It is the study of right and wrong in human endeavors. At a more fundamental level, it is the method by which we categorize our values and pursue them. Do we pursue our own happiness, or do we sacrifice ourselves to a greater cause? Is that foundation of ethics based on the Bible, or on the very nature of man himself, or neither?

What are the key elements of a proper Ethics?A proper foundation of ethics requires a standard of value to which all goals and actions can be compared to. This standard is our own lives, and the happiness which makes them livable. This is our ultimate standard of value, the goal in which an ethical man must always aim. It is arrived at by an examination of man's nature, and recognizing his peculiar needs. A system of ethics must further consist of not only emergency situations, but the day to day choices we make constantly. It must include our relations to others, and recognize their importance not only to our physical survival, but to our well-being and happiness. It must recognize that our lives are an end in themselves, and that sacrifice is not only not necessary, but destructive.

http://www.importanceofphilosophy.com/Ethics_Main.html

Axiology the study of value; the investigation of its nature, criteria, and metaphysical status. More often than not, the term "value theory" is used instead of "axiology" in contemporary discussions even though the term “theory of value” is used with respect to the value or price of goods and services in economics.

• Some significant questions in axiology include the following:
• Nature of value: is value a fulfillment of desire, a pleasure, a preference, a behavioral disposition, or simply a human interest of some kind?
• Criteria of value: de gustibus non (est) disputandum(i.e., (“there's no accounting for tastes”) or do objective standards apply?
• Status of value: how are values related to (scientific) facts? What ultimate worth, if any, do human values have?
• Axiology is usually divided into two main parts: Ethics and Aesthetics.
• Aesthetics is the study of value in the arts or the inquiry into feelings, judgments, or standards of beauty and related concepts. Philosophy of art is concerned with judgments of sense, taste, and emotion.
• E.g., Is art an intellectual or representational activity? What would the realistic representations in pop art represent? Does art represent sensible objects or ideal objects?
• Is artistic value objective? Is it merely coincidental that many forms in architecture and painting seem to illustrate mathematical principles? Are there standards of taste?
• Is there a clear distinction between art and reality?

http://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/what.shtml

Politics or 

Political Philosophy concerns the justification and limits of governmental control of individuals; the meaning of equality before the law; the basis of economic freedom; and many other problems concerning government. It also examines the nature and possible arguments for various competing forms of political organization, such as laissez-faire capitalism, welfare democracy (capitalistic and socialistic), anarchism, communism, and fascism. Social Philosophy, often taught in combination with political philosophy (which it overlaps), treats moral problems with large-scale social dimensions. Among these are the basis of compulsory education, the possible grounds for preferential treatment of minorities, the justice of taxation, and the appropriate limits, if any, on free expression in the arts. 

http://philosophy.org.udmercy.edu/branches.htm

Credite illis qui quaerunt veritatem. Dubitate etiam, qui inveniunt eam ~Andre Gide