What is Philosophy?

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The term “philosophy” comes from the two Greek words “philos” (φίλος) which means lover and “sophia” (σοφία) which means wisdom. Etymologically speaking, philosophy means “love of wisdom.”

It must be noted that love here (philos) is different from the other kinds of love the Greeks distinguished, namely eros and agape. Love in philosophy must be understood as a strong desire for a particular object, while wisdom as the knowledge of the ultimate causes and principles. Philosophy as the love of wisdom, therefore, refers to the strong desire of the human person to possess the definitive answers to life’s deepest questions. It is no coincidence then that most philosophers in the ancient world, such as Socrates, Buddha and Confucius, were wise men.


Philosophy: A General Definition

Traditionally, philosophy is defined as the science that studies beings in their ultimate causes, reasons, and principles through the aid of human reason alone. Here, when we speak of being or beings, we mean all things that exist, both material or immaterial. Examples of beings are trees, animals, persons, books, God, etc. Practically, everything that exists is a being, and philosophy studies the definitive reasons and explanations to the deep questions that may arise from them.

Some basic questions that philosophy tries to answer are:

  • What is the origin of the world?
  • Why do we exist rather than not exist at all?
  • Does God exist? If so, how can we justify his goodness in the presence of evil?
  • What is the meaning and purpose of life? Of suffering?
  • What is true knowledge? What are the limits of human knowledge?
  • If one is suffering from an unbearable pain such as cancer, is it morally right to resort to euthanasia?

Philosophy tries to answer these questions through the use of human reason alone; that is, it does so critically and logically, using reflection, analysis, other questions and arguments, and without resorting to customary, mythological, or religious answers.

It is important to note, however, that not all philosophers agree on a single definition of philosophy. In fact, they differ in their basic understanding of it. Karl Jaspers, for example, a famous German existential philosopher, understands philosophy as a discipline in which questions are more important than answers, because answers themselves will in turn become questions.


The Major Branches of Philosophy

Philosophy is divided into four major branches: metaphysics, epistemology, logic, and ethics.

1. Metaphysics


The term “metaphysics” comes from the two Greek words “meta” (μετὰ), which means beyond or after, and “physica” (φυσικά), which means physical or in nature. Etymologically speaking, metaphysics means the study of things beyond the physical, that is, things or concepts that cannot be experienced, such as the concept of God, freedom, and the soul.

Metaphysics is commonly understood as the foundation of philosophy. In fact, Aristotle calls it the “first philosophy”. Originally, the Greek word “metaphysics” or meta ta physica (μετὰ τὰ φυσικά), meaning after the physics, designated that part of Aristotle’s works which came after his writings that dealt with physics or the physical world. However, it was misappropriated later by his medieval commentators as that which is beyond the physical. Thus overtime, metaphysics became understood as the study of that which exists beyond the physical.

Metaphysics is subdivided into two branches: general metaphysics and special metaphysics.

A. General Metaphysics (or Ontology)

General metaphysics is also referred to as ontology. The term “ontology” is derived from the two Greek words “ontos” (ὄντος) which means being or that which is—meaning everything that exists—and “logos” (λόγος) which means knowledge or study. Ontology, therefore, is the branch of metaphysics that studies beings in their ultimate causes, reasons, and principles through the use of reason alone. In other words, it studies the first principles or the essence of everything that exists.

Some of the questions ontology tries to answer are:
  • What is being?
  • Why do things exist rather than not exist at all?
  • What is the meaning and nature of reality?
  • What is the underlying principle of everything that exists?
  • Does nothing exist? If so, what is the nature of nothing?

B. Special Metaphysics

Special metaphysics, on the other hand, is further subdivided into branches such as cosmology, psychology or anthropology, and natural theology or theodicy.

2. Epistemology

The second major branch of philosophy is epistemology. The term “epistemology” comes from the two Greek words “episteme” (ἐπιστήμη) which means knowledge and “logos” (λόγος) which means study. Thus, epistemology is defined as the study of the nature and scope of knowledge and justified belief. Specifically, it analyzes the nature of knowledge and how it relates to similar concepts, such as truth and falsehood, opinion and belief, and justification.

Here are some of the questions epistemology tries to answer:
  • What is knowledge?
  • What do we know?
  • What are the structures and limits of human knowledge?
  • How is knowledge acquired?
  • What justifies true beliefs?

3. Logic


Logic comes from the Greek word “logos”, which actually has several meanings, such as word, reason, study, etc. Despite this, logic is defined as the science of correct thinking or the study of the principles and criteria of valid arguments. More specifically, logic attempts to distinguish true and valid—or “sound”—reasoning from false and invalid reasoning.

Some of the questions that logic tries to answer are:
  • What are the basic mental acts?
  • What distinguishes a good argument from a bad one?
  • What are the criteria in determining the validity of an argument?
  • How can we detect a fallacious argument?
  • What are the types of fallacies?

4. Ethics

The term “ethics” comes from the Greek word “ethos” (ἦθος) which means character or custom. Ethics is the study of the morality of human actions. It is concerned with questions of the rightness or wrongness of human actions, how human persons ought and ought not to act, and the good life. It is important to note that ethics is not the same as morality.

Here are some of the questions ethics tries to answer:
  • Is man naturally good or naturally evil?
  • What makes a good action good and a bad one bad?
  • What is the difference between human act and act of man?
  • What are the different stages of moral development?
  • What is the good life and how can we attain it?

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