What is Philosophy?

Raymond John D. Vergara

Philosophy cannot be defined but could only
be understood from different categories:

1.Etymology
2.Discipline
3.Practice
 Philosophy’s Etymology
Greek Words for Love::
Philo (φιλο) – Love
1. AGAPE
2. EROS Sophia (σοφία)– Wisdom
3. PHILO
Socrates – Father of Western Philosophy
“The Unexamined life is not worth living”

Plato – Father of Idealism

The world of forms and the
world of senses
 Aristotle – Virtue
Philosophy

Friendship Well-Being Virtue

Philosophy, as a love of wisdom means a quest for

wisdom that ensures the well-being or happiness of a
person
Philosophy as a Discipline

Philosophy is a discipline or a subject or a

course that students are taking in colleges and
universities. In the ancient times, educational
institutions established areas of studies that
will train students to be expert scholars of truth
and reality. But truth and reality are two things
that are not easily discovered; unlocking them
requires time, patience, and tedious and
rigorous skills.
PHILOSOPHICAL METHODOLOGIES
 Branches of Philosophy
Cosmology comes from the Greek word
Kosmos which means universe. The field is
generally concern with the origin or
processes of the universe, including
problem like cause and effect.

Metaphysics deals with the study of

Reality and being. It comes from two Greek
words, Meta which means beyond and
Physica which means physical. It is
generally interested with issues being
(What is there?), identity, time, space,
causes, change, determinism and others.
Epistemology is another branch of
Philosophy. It studies the nature and
essence of knowledge and truth. People
assume they know because of several
sources like senses, reason, innate belief
and others. These sources however pose
some limitations that makes one’s knowing
questionable. Hence, a basic question of
epistemology is: how can we be sure of
what we know?

Ethics is a field of philosophy that is concern on the

rightness or wrongness of an action. Given our freedom,
how should we act? What sort of actions would merit
happiness? What should be our basis in deciding for
crucial actions in life? Thus, in general it seeks to
explain the nature and meaning of “Good.”
Aesthetics deals with the study of beauty
and art. The field is generally concern with
the question: What constitutes the concept
of beauty? Aesthetics evaluates how an
artist create works or how an individual
interacts with imagination. Further,
aesthetic philosophers are interested
unlocking the components that contribute to
the creation of an art work

Theodicy involves a philosophical discourse on the existence of

God. Philosophers view the existence of God from three
perspectives; affirmatively (theists), negative (atheists), and
skeptical (agnostics). This field of philosophy is interested in
laying foundations or principles and arguments behind the
existence or non-existence of God
Social and Political Philosophy is a
branch of philosophy that deals with the
nature and systems existing in societies. It
is generally interested in understanding
how societies and political systems work. It
concerns topics like social contract, types
of governments, equality, wars, laws, and
others.

. Logic is the art and science of correct

reasoning. This field serves as foundation
and essential discipline in furthering
philosophical knowledge. As a discipline, it
seeks to identify the rules and principles of
proper reasoning and argumentation in
order to avoid arriving at unsound premises
and invalid conclusions.
Henri Louis Bergson
once said:
“There is nothing in
Philosophy that could
not be said in everyday
language”
Philosophy as a Practice

“ Sapagkat ang Pilosopiya ay ginagawa!”

- Roque Ferriols

The question is not What is Philosophy? Rather, How

to Philosophize?
Conclusion:

Philosophy is both a discipline and a human activity that

examines, and critically reflects on the truth and reality that
permeate the society with the ultimate goal of making life
better. While there could be no fixed definition for
philosophy, the categories that we have looked into can
somehow provide us a foundational understanding of what
philosophy is.