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Philosophy
MAJOR AREAS OF PHILOSOPHY
METAPHYSICS: (from the title of one of Aristotle’s books “after” or “beyond” the Physics).
Two sub-areas:
ONTOLOGY: the study of Being - asks philosophical questions such as:
“What is it to be?”;
“What is ultimately real?” or
“What is ultimate
reality?”;
“What is it to become real?” and
“How
does non-being become being?” ;
“Can non-being become
being?”;
“What is change, and if it is possible, how?”;
“Which is the basis of reality - Being or Becoming?”;
“Is there a Supreme Reality (ie. God, The One, Nirvana) and
if so, what is its nature?”;
“Are physical objects, Time,
Space and the phenomenal world real, and if so, what is their nature?”
COSMOLOGY: the study of the whole - asks philosophical questions such as:
“What is everything made
of - or what is the basic stuff of reality?”;
“Has the
whole cosmos always existed or did it come into existence?”;
“Did the whole cosmos have a cause?”;
“How does
the whole cosmos work?”;
“What are the fundamental laws
which govern or describe the whole cosmos?”;
“Does the
cosmos have meaning, and if so what?”
EPISTEMOLOGY: the study of knowledge - asks philosophical questions such as:
“What is knowledge?”;
“How does knowledge differ from correct opinion?”;
“Is
knowledge really possible?”;
“What are the sources of
knowledge?”;
“Can anything known with certainty about
reality from pure thought alone?”;
“Can sense experience
give us any reliable knowledge about objective reality?”;
“Can
knowledge extend beyond our own language to reach objective truths
in reality, and if so, how?”
LOGIC - the study of reasoning
- asks philosophical questions such as:
“What is truth?”;
“How are some truths related to other truths?”;
“Are
there any necessary truths?”;
“Are there any necessary
laws of thought?”;
“How can we tell the difference between
good reasoning and bad reasoning?”; “What principles govern
deductive reasoning?”; “Can there be any principles of
inductive reasoning, and if so, what?”; “How is the logic
of language related to the logic of numbers?”; “Are there
areas of academic or scientific inquiry, or cultures, which have their
own exclusive logic - valid for them but not for others?”
AXIOLOGY - the study of values, with its own three sub-areas:
AESTHETICS - values in beauty and art - asks philosophical questions such as
“What is beauty - what
is the essence of the beautiful?”;
“What is art?”;
“How can humans tell whether or not something is beautiful or
a work of art?”;
ETHICS - the study of moral values - asks philosophical questions such as
“What ought humans to
seek as the highest good in life?”;
“What is it we ought
to be in order to be a good human being?”;
“What ought
we to do in order to right?” - or
“How can we tell the
difference between morally right action and morally wrong action?”;
“When is a person morally responsible - blameworthy or praiseworthy
- for their actions?”;
“What is the good life for a human
being?”
SOCIAL & POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY - the study of social and political
values
- asks philosophical questions such as:
“What is the good society?”;
“Is the value of a human life found in being an individual or
in being a member of a group?”;
“What is social justice?”;
“Is there any rational justification for the existence of government,
and if so, what?”;
“What is the best form of government?”
PHILOSOPHY OF ‘ *** ’. - there are many areas of Philosophy
which ask philosophical
questions about the subject, which might itself be another academic
discipline.
PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE
- while linguistics is the study of language, Philosophy of Language
asks questions such as"
“How can language connect with thought
and reality?”;
“How can words have meaning?”;
“How
can words refer to reality?”;
“What is the ‘meaning
of meaning’ - or what does it mean to say
“What does it
mean to say that?”;
“How does language shape thought?”;
“Can one understand another’s language, and if so, how?”
PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
- asks philosophical questions about science itself and the individual
sciences, such as:
“What is a scientific explanation - is there
a common essence to them all?”;
“What is a ‘scientific
law’?”;
“Is there a ‘scientific method’
- or are there various methods?”;
“Do the methods of science
yield ‘knowledge’ - or something else?
“What is
a ‘scientific theory’?”;
“Can scientific theories
ever be verified, and if so, how?”;
“Can scientific theories
ever be falsified, and if so, how?”;
“Are there any universal
concepts in science?”
PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
- asks philosophical questions about religion, such as:
“What
is the meaning of key concepts such as ‘God’, ‘holy’
and ‘divine’?”
“What is the meaning of religious
language?”;
“Can religious claims be verified or falsified
by evidence?”;
“What evidence supports religious claims
- that there is a God, for example?”