Philosophy Questions and Answers “Basic

Philosophy Questions”
What is Philosophy ? Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental
problems relating to issues such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind
and language.

What does the word philosophy mean ? The word philosophy has a Greek origin
that means “love of wisdom.”

When and where does philosophy emerge? Philosophy emerged in Greece in

the 6th century BC

How does philosophy arise? It arises with the passage from mythical thought to
rational thought; Until that moment the world and man were subject to the will of
the gods, however, a series of thoughts began to emerge in man, which tried to
respond to the problems that man encountered.

What factors helped the birth of philosophy? 1.- Educational factor: In

general, Greek citizens knew how to read and write, although education gave great
importance to gymnastics and music, the fact that there was even a certain book
trade shows a complex society. 2.- Economic: Philosophy appears only when a
certain level of economic well-being has been reached, enough so that some could
dedicate themselves to thinking, therefore, they will be able to dedicate themselves
to leisure, to a contemplative (theoretical) life. 3.- Religious: The Greek religion
was a religion without dogmas, nor sacred books, without an organized body of
priests who could prevent public debate through sacred dogmas. 4.- Commercial
factor: The Greeks were a people open to other peoples and cultures, philosophy
appears in the city, which is a political center, but also commercial. Greece was a
very poor country and its inhabitants were destined to immigrate, to trade with
other peoples, to create distant colonies, to learn other customs and other gods.
This allows intellectual flexibility, essential for the development of philosophy.

Who was considered the first philosopher? Thales of Miletus is considered the
first Western philosopher.

Why is Thales of Miletus considered the first philosopher? Thales of Miletus is

considered the first philosopher for having attempted the first rational explanation
of different phenomena in the world that is known in the history of Western culture.
In his time mythical conceptions still predominated, but Thales sought a rational
explanation, what is known as "the passage from myth to logos."

What does the Greek word logos mean? The Greek word logos refers in this
context to "reason", one of its meanings in Spanish.
What questions does Greek philosophy try to answer? Man, nature, and
knowledge. Who I am, what nature is and how knowledge is produced.

What are the branches of philosophy? Philosophy is divided into several

branches of research: ontology and metaphysics (critical analysis of the structure
of reality); theory of knowledge, epistemology or epistemology (study of the origin,
structure and scope of knowledge); logic (exploration of valid reasoning or
argument); ethics (analysis of human action and its values); and aesthetics (theory
of beauty and art).

Is philosophy a science? Philosophy is not a science because it does not predict

or explain with hypotheses the causes and whys, it has no religious basis but is a
vital decision, it is not a dogma and although there are countless writings it is not
frivolous literature, since it does not It is for aesthetic enjoyment or based on
fantasy. A discipline is done as a way to improve one's own existence of one's
personal life.

Who were the first philosophers that existed in history? It was the Greeks.

Who were the pillars of philosophy? In Ancient Greece it reached its splendor;
with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle: three philosophers who have become the pillars
of the thought that we know today under the name of Western philosophy.

Who were the main representatives of modern philosophy? Descartes,

Spinoza, Locke, Hume, Berkeley, Kant, Fichte, Schelling, Hegel, Husserl, among
others.

What were the main philosophical currents in the modern age? Rationalism
and empiricism.

What is rationalism and who were its main representatives? The “rationalists,”
especially in France and Germany, argued that all knowledge must come from
certain “innate ideas” in the mind. The main rationalists were René Descartes,
Baruch Spinoza, Gottfried Leibniz, and Nicholas Malebranche.

What is empiricism and who were its main representatives? “Empiricists”

maintain that knowledge must begin with sensory experience. The main figures of
this line of thought are John Locke, George Berkeley and David Hume.

What is idealism and who were its main representatives? Idealism assumes
that objects cannot exist without a mind that is aware of them. In order to know
things, consciousness, ideas, the subject and thought must be taken into account.
Some of its representatives are Plato, Berkeley and Kant.

How important is philosophy today? Nowadays, philosophy has lost ground in

knowledge, as science has taken shape and developed in numerous specialties.
But even so, there always remains and probably will remain a margin to speculate
and reason about the meaning of life and the universe, and on that margin
philosophical thought will continue to be valid.

Solved Philosophy Quiz

Where is philosophy born? Philosophy was born in Miletus, the market of the
ancient world, in which the people of the Mediterranean exchanged their goods.

Why was philosophy born in Miletus? The commercial and cultural exchange
between Miletus and the Near East was important for the flourishing of philosophy.

Who were the first pre-Socratic philosophers? The first pre-Socratic thinkers
were Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes.

What are the main questions that philosophy asks? Who are we? Where do we
come from? Where are we going?

What is man in ancient philosophy? Man is a rational being, important in his

being in the world.
Man is separated from the natural world as the most complex being and even the
only being that dares to see himself and think of himself as a being that reasons
and speculates about his reality.

What need did the first philosophers have to get out of the myth? The first
philosophers began to question both the explanations given by the myths and the
behavioral guidelines they offered. They were men who were attracted to asking
questions, who noticed inconsistencies in mythical stories.

Is truth typical of science? Science does not guarantee knowledge of the

absolute truth. Science contains within itself self-regulation and reformulation. Still,
science guarantees that its circumstantial “truths” are the most probable.

What is the truth in religion? Religious knowledge, according to followers of

religions, can be obtained from religious leaders, sacred texts and/or one's own
personal revelation. These knowledge must be accepted as absolute truths,
although they cannot be proven, the truths of religion are based largely on faith.

What is the truth in philosophy? Philosophy gives the student the ability to think,
to analyze, to question. Philosophy is the search for eternal truths through analysis
and reason.

What is the truth in myths? Myths impose themselves as stories full of authority
but without justification; It is appealed to that things have always been this way.
The Origin of Philosophy
Why was philosophy born in Greece and not elsewhere? It is in Greece where
an attempt was made to give an explanation to the world, leaving religion aside, to
be based on rational and non-religious arguments. The Greek political organization
allowed citizens to develop intellectual capacities in a way that did not happen
anywhere else in the West. This led the Greeks to take their leisure time to think
and question the problems of human existence in a different way.

Where in Greece did philosophy emerge? Philosophy emerged in the city of

Miletus.

Why is the city of Miletus important? The geographical and strategic location of
Miletus contributed to its positioning as an important maritime commercial power in
the Greek world and as an active center of economic, political and cultural
exchange with the peoples of Asia Minor.

Why is Greece the cradle of philosophy and philosophical thought? The

political organization of Ancient Greece and the way of life of its citizens allowed
them to develop ideas that differed from religious explanations and with little
reasoning, seeking rational arguments for the existential problems of human
beings. This is how the Greeks developed - and began in the West - with
philosophy.

Why is Greek culture important in the development of the West? For the West
it is the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games,
literature and the study of history, politics and the most important principles of
mathematics and science.

Why is Greece considered the cradle of democracy? Athens is the Cradle of

Democracy, considered the origin of the democratic systems of the current world,
born in ancient classical Greece. At first Athens was ruled by a king, then by an
Aristocratic government and later by a Democratic government.

Who were the most important characters in ancient Greek philosophy ?

Chronology (640 BC) C. — 370 BC C.)

What were the main original cities of the first philosophers ?

What are the three elements that were important in the origin of human
knowledge? Myths, magic and religion
How did magic justify myths and religion? justified them through fantastic
explanations, mastery of nature and creation of superior beings

Before the appearance of logos, knowledge of the world was justified by?
Given the inability of human beings to be able to explain their reality rationally, they
create fantastic and divine beings.

How important were myths in ancient times? Myths created values and
explained the actions of man in his society

What main characteristics do myths have? The myths are structured in the form
of stories that are transmitted orally, they do not present dates, they occur in a
remote past and their teachings are valid for any place and time, they also
expressed unquestionable truths that did not need proof to be accepted.

Why did myths lose importance and relevance in man's life? With the
appearance of logos, reason, the appearance of philosophy and science, man
stopped taking seriously the myths they created to explain the world and reality.

What is the difference between philosophy and mythical thought? The myths
gave answers to questions but without being questioned, philosophy is a human
disposition to know, the truth, to always question oneself with a humble attitude,
with admiration and always leaves with a critical attitude towards reality.

What is the difference between philosophy and science? Philosophy is not

limited to giving an answer to a part of the event, it seeks the whole, it is not
satisfied with fragmenting knowledge as science does, it simply seeks the rational
explanation of the whole.

What is the difference between philosophy and religion? Philosophy is a

system of asking questions and providing some answers, whereas religion gives all
the answers although only based on faith.

What are the main disciplines of philosophy ? Philosophy has been divided into
different disciplines or areas: Metaphysics, Ontology, Logic, Ethics, Aesthetics or
philosophy of art, Axiology, Epistemology

In its simplest form, philosophy (from Greek φιλοσοφία or Latin philosophĭa ,

meaning “love of wisdom”) is the study of knowledge, or “thinking about thinking,”
although the breadth of what it covers is perhaps best illustrated by a selection of
other alternative definitions:

Different Definitions of Philosophy

 the discipline that deals with questions of how one should live (ethics); what
kinds of things exist and what their essential natures are (metaphysics);
 what is considered genuine knowledge (epistemology); and what are the
correct principles of reasoning (logic)

 Investigation of the nature, causes, or principles of reality, knowledge, or

values, based on logical reasoning rather than empirical methods (American
Heritage Dictionary)

 The study of the ultimate nature of existence, reality, knowledge and

goodness, as being recognizable by human reasoning (Penguin English
Dictionary)

 The rational investigation of the questions of existence and knowledge and

ethics (WordNet)

 The search for knowledge and truth, especially about the nature of man and
his behavior and beliefs (Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary)

 Rational and critical investigation in basic principles (Microsoft Encarta)

 The study of the most general and abstract characteristics of the world and
categories with which we think: mind, matter, reason, proof, truth, etc. (
Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy )

 A careful reflection on the fundamental nature of the world, the motives of

human knowledge, and the evaluation of human behavior ( The Philosophy
Pages )

As originally used by the ancient Greeks, the term “philosophy” meant the pursuit
of knowledge for its own sake, and encompassed all areas of speculative thought,
including the arts, sciences, and religion.

Differences and similarities between science and

philosophy
Philosophical questions (unlike those in the sciences) are usually foundational and
abstract in nature. Philosophy is done primarily through reflection and does not
tend to rely on experiment, although the methods used to study it may be
analogous to those used in the study of natural sciences.

Contributions of philosophy to humanity

In common usage, it sometimes has the meaning of unproductive or frivolous
reflections, but over the centuries it has produced some of the most important
original ideas, and their contribution to politics, sociology, mathematics, science
and literature has been invaluable. Although the study of philosophy cannot
produce “the meaning of life, the universe and everything,” many philosophers
believe that it is important for each of us to analyze these types of questions and
even that an unexamined life is not worth it. live. It also provides a good way to
learn to think more clearly about a wide range of topics, and its argument analysis
methods can be useful in a variety of situations in other areas of life.

Philosophy is such a big topic that it's hard to know how to break it down into
manageable, logical sections. Perhaps the most basic global division at the highest
level is geographical, between Eastern philosophy and Western philosophy (with
possibly African philosophy as a possible third branch at this level).