We explain what philosophy is, its origin, branches and what it is for. Also, why it is important and its relationship with science.
What is philosophy?
Philosophy is a discipline that deals with a series of theoretical and practical problems through criticism, reflection, textual interpretation and the exercise of reason in all its forms.
The problems of studying philosophy arise around knowledge, existence, language, being, life, art, truth, reason, theology and the mind, among others. For each of these problems there is a specific branch that addresses them, such as metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics, logic or ethics.
Being a problematic discipline in itself, philosophy is difficult to characterize. Each philosopher defines his philosophical practice according to the problem he dedicates himself to. However, Being considered the mother of all sciences, many philosophers address different problems and areas of philosophy. It is not strange to see that some philosophers venture even into areas that, in principle, are foreign to the discipline. This happens with mathematics, biology or bioethics, for example.
See also: Philosophical knowledge
Etymology of the term “philosophy”
The philosophy takes its name from Greek philosophy (φιλοσοφία), whose literal translation is “love of wisdom”. Philosophy It is composed of –philos (φίλος), meaning “friend” or “lover”, and –sophia (σοφία), which means “wisdom.”
As well as philos It is “lover”, it is also “love”. The philosopher is the lover of wisdom your friend, your companion. However, this translation is disputed, and even today there are many debates about what the original meaning of the word is. philosophy.
History of philosophy
Philosophy as we know it today is the result of the historical development of Western philosophy. This has its origin in ancient Greece, around the 6th century BC. c which is why this era is called “Ancient Philosophy”. In general, the history of philosophy is divided into four periods:
- ancient philosophy. It is the period from the 6th century BC. C. to the 5th century d. C. In it we find classical philosophers such as Heraclitus, Parmenides, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Because it is such a long period, it is divided as follows:
- Pre-Socratic period (VI-V BC).
- Classic period (V-II BC).
- Hellenistic period (II BC – II AD).
- Period of late antiquity (II-V AD).
- Medieval philosophy. It is the period from the 5th to the 16th century AD. C. It takes place between the fall of the Roman Empire until the European Renaissance. Its most famous thinkers are Augustine of Hippo, Boethius, Thomas Aquinas and Anselm of Canterbury, among others.
- modern philosophy. It is the period from the 17th to the 18th century. With a radical turn to the use of reason, its best-known philosophers are René Descartes, Davdid Hume, Baruch Spinoza, Gottfried Leibnitz and Immanuel Kant.
- Contemporary philosophy. It is the period from the 20th century to the present. Many of the works carried out in the 19th century are often included in contemporary philosophy, such as the works of Hegel and Nietzsche. Contemporary philosophy was characterized by a marked opposition between analytical philosophy and continental philosophy.
Branches of philosophy
Philosophy is divided into different branches according to its object of study. These are:
- Metaphysics. It studies being, reality and existence and being.
- Logic. Study the reason.
- Ethics. Study moral problems.
- Aesthetics. Study beauty and art.
- Political philosophy. Studies human relationships in society.
- Philosophy of language. Study language as a phenomenon.
- Epistemology. Study knowledge for science.
- epistemology. Study knowledge in general.
- Philosophy of law. Study laws and justice.
- Philosophy of animality. Study animals and non-violent ways of relating to them.
Philosophical problems
Philosophy works with different problems. These vary depending on the time, geography and society in which they develop. However, many or almost all of them remain unresolved, since, in general, philosophy is not a conclusive science but rather aims to give continuity to thought and exercise a critical perspective.
Some of the most important philosophical problems revolve around the asks about being, causality, truth, good and evil, beauty, theology, death or mind-body dualism. For several years, different problems have been incorporated, such as animal studies, queer studies or feminist philosophy, as well as studies on postmodernity and history.
Importance of philosophy
Philosophy is one of the longest-standing disciplines in the history of humanity. Its importance is not exclusive to the humanities and scholars of art or history. Its proliferation of branches and specializations allows us to think about the dilemmas of contemporary human beings and apply them to different areas of knowledge.
It represents the possibility of thinking about the way we are changing the world, that is, the way we are changing ourselves and, at the same time, the way we are thinking about it. The philosophy It is a mirror in which to look at ourselves to know who we are.
Philosophy and science
The appearance of science in the 16th century forever changed the way of thinking of the West and the world, putting an end to both ancient forms of philosophy and medieval religious faith. This is the founding feature of the modern world. However, this does not mean that scientific discourse prevents the existence of philosophy, far from it.
Currently the relationship between the two is understood from two points of view:
- scientific philosophy. Which takes as a reference the findings of science and is dedicated to thinking about the way in which they are produced, the way in which scientific thought evolves, and in this way constitutes an appendix of knowledge organized by modern sciences.
- speculative philosophy. That remains free from any bondage with respect to scientific knowledge, and from any other form of knowledge, depending solely on its own life.
Continue with: Epistemology
References
- Marías, J., Zubiri, X., & and Gasset, JO (1941). History of philosophy (No. B94. M37 1974.). Madrid: Western Magazine.
- Reale, G., & Antiseri, D. (2007). History of philosophy. San Pablo Editorial.
- Hegel, GWF, & Terrón, E. (1971). Introduction to the history of philosophy. Aguilar.
- Deleuze, G., Guattari, F., & Kauf, T. (2001). What is philosophy?. Barcelona: Anagram.
- Lyotard, J.F., & Veiga, J.M. (1989). Why philosophize?: four conferences. Paidós.
- Greek, D. M. (1967). Classical Greek-Spanish. Vox
- Heidegger, M. (2013). What is philosophy?. Herder Editorial.
- “What is philosophy?” by Ismael Quiles in Filosofía.org.
