Exploring the Branches of Philosophy

Sep 9, 2024

Philosophy Lecture Notes

Introduction to Philosophy

  • Definition: Philosophy comes from Greek words "philos" (love) and "sophia" (wisdom)
  • Philosophy is the love of wisdom
  • It is the science using reason to study the first causes or highest principles of all things

Reflections on the COVID-19 Pandemic

  • Longest lockdown has caused anxiety
  • Analogy: Philosophy is like an ocean, vast and filled with knowledge

Major Branches of Philosophy

  1. Metaphysics

    • Studies reality, existence, nature of being, physical world, and universe
    • Questions addressed: What kinds of things exist? Identity and change of objects?
    • Concepts like space, time, spirit, soul, and matter

  2. Epistemology

    • Known as the theory of knowledge
    • Studies nature, scope, and limits of human knowledge
    • Questions include: What is knowledge? How do we know what we know?
    • Relation with justification, truth, belief

  3. Logic

    • Studies reasoning and how to construct valid arguments
    • Differentiates between good and bad reasoning
    • Involves puzzles, word problems, fallacies, paradoxes, and debates

  4. Axiology

    • Study of value and its nature, criteria, and metaphysical status
    • Divided into Ethics and Aesthetics:
      • Ethics: Values in human behavior, moral problems, rightness and wrongness of actions
      • Aesthetics: Value in arts, beauty, judgments, and related concepts

Questions and Branch Classification

  • "Can nothingness exist?" - Metaphysics
  • "Distinguish between a good and bad argument" - Logic
  • "How should we act in order to follow what is right?" - Ethics
  • "Is good taste innate or learned?" - Aesthetics
  • "How do we know what we know?" - Epistemology

Key Points Recap

  • Philosophy is divided into three main branches: Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Axiology
  • Axiology further divides into Ethics and Aesthetics
  • Each branch addresses specific fundamental questions about knowledge, existence, reasoning, and values

Conclusion

  • Encouragement to reflect on learned content
  • Anticipation for next learning session

(End of lecture notes)