.What is philosophy? How it is love of knowledgeIntroduction:Philosophy is the studyof universal and elementary problems concerning matters such as existence,knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.
In history,”philosophy” covers all the knowledge that can be astronomy,medicine, and physics. In the modern era, philosophy became separated indifferent academic disciplines, including psychology, sociology, linguistics,and economics, art, science, politics, or other pursuits remained part ofphilosophy. For example, Newton’s 1687Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy later became classified as a bookof physics. “Therational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics”.Howit is love of knowledge:Philosophy is a composedof two parts: ‘Philos’ (love) and ‘Sophia’ (wisdom) which means love of wisdom.The first part of the word is easy to understand which means “attraction to”.When we love something we place that thing at the height of likeness.
The one’swho love wisdom will consider it valuable to look for. According to ancientGreeks wisdom is beyond the reach of human; it did not come naturally to thehuman beings. Ancient Greeks believed that wisdom was not approachable to thecommon people. 2.Branches of philosophy Thefive branches of philosophy are:1. Metaphysics (the true nature ofreality)2. Epistemology (the true nature ofknowledge and belief)3. Politics (how humans functionwithin a society)4.
Ethics (values and decision makingprocess)5. Esthetics (the nature of beauty andart) Metaphysics:Itis the study of the true nature of reality from which we perceive and give meaningto our world. Metaphysics deals with the things which exists but do not haveany physicality e.g god, beauty.
The degree to which our metaphysical worldviewis correct is the degree to which we are able to comprehend the world, and actaccordingly. Without this firm foundation, all knowledge becomes suspect.Epistemology:Epistemologyis the branch of acquiring knowledge. It determines a proper method ofevaluation and explains how we think. Without epistemology, we could not think. It is concerned with how our minds arerelated to reality.
It is needed in order to use and obtain knowledge of theworld around us. Ethics:Ethicsis the branch in which we categorize our values and pursue them. Ethics is a mustfor human life. It is important in deciding a path of our actions and withoutit our actions would be random and aimless. Politics:Politicstells you how a society must be set up and how one should act within a society.
The requirement for a political system is that the individuals within thatsystem are allowed to fully function according to their nature. A human beingcannot survive in an environment where reason is ineffective, and will thriveor starve to a degree in proportion to the effectiveness of reason. This meansthat the prime goal of a political system must be the preservation and enablingof the faculty of reason. Reason does not function under coercion.Esthetics:Estheticsis the study of art. It is a mean of expressing the ethics previously learnt. Itdeals with the questions of beauty taste and expression.
3.How philosophy forms the basis of gaining knowledge in any field:Philosophy forms thebasis of gaining knowledge in a way that it provides openness to ask questionswhich enhance existing knowledge and also helps to improve critical thinking skills.Philosophy is really about clarifying concepts and finding logicalimplications. The ancient philosopher Socrates initiated this approach to gainknowledge. He was famous to ask questions from his students. In philosophy weanalyze the nature of knowledge and relate it to different concepts like truth,belief, values, ethics etc. Philosophy brings about the problems and alsohighlights the path for the solution of those problems.
Physicists, chemists, and biologists areinterested in debating over which scientific entities really exist (such aselectrons), and philosophers debate over how we should answer this question.4.Is philosophy only subjective?Philosophydoes not judge anyone as it is based on subjective opinions and experiences. Thereis nothing right or wrong in the dictionary of philosophy.Philosophy basicallydifferentiates between judgements and claims which people make.Philosophyassumes that objective opinions are free from personal considerations andemotional perspectives.But at the same time philosophy also assumes thatpeoples subjective opions are directly influenced by peoples personalexperinces Thus, the statement “I am six feettall” is considered to be objective because such precise measurement ispresumed to be uninfluenced by personal preferences. Moreover, the accuracy ofthe measurement can be checked and re-checked by independent observers.
Incontrast, the statement “I like tall men” is an entirely subjectivejudgment because it can be informed solely by personal preferences – indeed; itis a statement of personal preference. 5.Philosophy is the mother of all sciences:Philosophy whichliterally means the love of knowledge is the study of thinking and knowledge itself.Philosophy familiarizes you with fine distinctions in the context and meaningof words required to give informed opinions on even the most subtle andintricate of sciences. It helps you develop and nurture the keenness andopenness of mind necessary for a deep and wholesome appreciation of life andthe world. Indeed there is no intellectual discipline more apt to be addressedas the mother of all sciences. This was once a universally recognized fact inevery famed University in the world.
You needed to first get your Language andPhilosophy basics sorted before you could even think of acquiring deepknowledge in any field of study. The model of classical education followed upuntil the twentieth century was designed to comprise of two basic components,the Trivium and the Quadrivium at the primary level. The idea behind this wasthat without being sufficiently proficient in the use of Language, Logic andMathematics, one cannot hope to progress to the more sophisticated fields ofstudy.6.Philosophy and science what is the connection?Theconnection between science and philosophy has continued for thousands of years.Today, it has not only been conserved but is also growing significantlystronger.
The extent of the scientific work and the social significance ofresearch have attained immense proportions. For example, philosophy and physicswere at first naturally interconnected, particularly in the work of Galileo,Descartes, Kepler, Newton, Lomonosov, Mendeleyev and Einstein, and generally inthe work of all scientists with a broad outlook.At one time it was commonly held thatphilosophy was the science of sciences, their ultimate ruler.
Today physics isconsidered as the queen of sciences. Both views hold a definite measure oftruth. Physics with its tradition, the specific objects of study and vast rangeof exact methods of observation and experiment applies an exceptionallyfruitful influence on all or almost all spheres of knowledge. Philosophy may becalled the “science of sciences” maybe in the sense that it is, ineffect, the self-awareness of the sciences and the source from which all thesciences draw their world-view. Asa whole, philosophy and the sciences are equal partners supporting creativethought in its explorations to achieve generalizing truth. Philosophy does notsubstitute the specific sciences and does not control them, but it describesgeneral principles of theoretical thinking, with a method of cognition andworld-view. In this sense scientific philosophy reasonably holds one of the keypositions in the sy1stem of the sciences.
