What is philosophy essays

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to our Cookies Policy. Learn More. This essay on What is Philosophy: Discussion was written and submitted by your fellow student. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. Removal Request.

If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. Cite This paper. Select a referencing style:. Copy to Clipboard Copied! Reference IvyPanda. Work Cited "What is Philosophy: Discussion. Bibliography IvyPanda. Socrates followed artisans, politicians, and others who considered themselves as wise, but after evaluating them, he discovered that they were not wise, although they were knowledgeable.

Socrates described them as skilled men and professionals, but they could not prove their knowledge. This directed Socrates to his philosophical thought that the wisest person is the one who claims to know nothing. By saying so, Socrates meant that we could not claim to know something, unless we can proof our knowledge of what we claim to know. This makes me to think that all matters have a room for doubt, and it is through justification that human beings get to understand the truth.

A good illustration of uncertainty is clear in the Apology, as Socrates explains why he does not feel sorry for his life. He says that fear of death should not influence our choices because we even do not know what death is and we should not fear that which we do not know. Lastly, Socrates demonstrates the value of philosophy through his answers to those who think that he should stop the practice of examining others and leave Athens.

Socrates points out that our societies is lacking something so important, because we only concentrate on immediate satisfaction and fail to think about issues deeply. He explains that many people tend to ignore philosophical issues and consider them a waste of time because they tend to focus on providing solutions to questions that cannot have answers.

Yet, is it not a contradiction that he poses questions when he thinks that they cannot have answers? To understand whether an unexamined life is worth living, we must first understand whether life itself is worth living. During happy moments, we all feel that life is worthy living but when demands of this life overpower us, we feel as if life is unworthy. It is in our lowest moments that we also try to test whether our lives are valuable.

At these times, we tend to explore our lives so that we can get the most from it. Therefore, philosophy is valuable, especially for those who choose to think philosophically with an open mind.

All we need to do is to select our values and learn the habit of thought and reflection. In conclusion, I will say that philosophy means different things to different people, but it deals with logic, reflection and questions in search for wisdom. Grube, trans. Home Page Research What is Philosophy? What is Philosophy? Essay Words 8 Pages. The subject of Philosophy and its subcategories have been widely discussed in both the Western and non-Western world albeit with different focuses.

Philosophy includes many different subfields involving investigation into our existence. These subfields include epistemology, ethics, logic, metaphysics, philosophy of science, social and political philosophy, and Metaphilosophy. Ethics involves the study of moral values and rules, Logic; the study of reasoning. Metaphysics is the study of being and knowing also known as the principles of reality.

The Philosophy of Science analyzes the nature and results of scientific inquiry. Social and Political Philosophy …show more content… These methods of thinking include Critical, Rational, Systematic, Reflective, and normative thinking.

Each of which helps find a conclusion or truth. The method of critical thinking explores what it means to be critical and how we think critically. Critical thinking can be defined as an approach to ideas from the standpoint of deliberate consideration.

Philosophy differs from Religion in that this critical thinking is a primary characteristic used in Western Philosophy. Religion is a belief and way of life while philosophy is the knowledge or understanding of life.

In Greek Philo means love of and Sophy, wisdom. Hence philosophy is most directly the love of wisdom. Non-western Philosophy incorporates both science and religon to answer questions. Furthermore, all Sciences are subsets of philosophy.

Philosophy represents the mind, a process of thinking and religion, a process of faith.