Nature and Importance of Philosophy
Define Philosophy?
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is the rational attempt to formulate, understand, and answer fundamental questions.
Nature of Philosophy
- Philosophy is a set of views or beliefs about life and the universe.
- Philosophy is a rational attempt to look at the world as a whole
- Philosophy presses its inquiry into the deepest problems of human existence
- Philosophy is the logical analysis of language and the clarification of the meaning of words and concepts
Importance of Philosophy
- The study of Philosophy enables us to think carefully and clearly about important issues.
- In studying Philosophy, we learn to take a step back from our everyday thinking and to explore the deeper, bigger question which underpins our thought.
- The focus in the study of Philosophy is to learn not what to believe, but how to think.
- Studying philosophy sharpens your analytical abilities, enabling you to identify and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in any position.
- It hones your ability to construct and articulate cogent arguments of your own.
- It prompts you to work across disciplinary boundaries and to think flexibly and creatively about problems which do not present immediate solutions.
- Because philosophy is an activity as much a body of knowledge, it also develops your ability to think and work independently.
Branches of Philosophy
- Metaphysics
- Epistemology
- Axiology
- Logic
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of Philosophy, which deals with physical universe. It asks questions like as
- What is real?
- What is the origin of world?
- What is beyond the stars?
Epistemology
It is derived from Greek word EPISTEME, which mean ‘ Knowledge ‘. So epistemology refers to the origin of knowledge and truth. This influences ” how teaching, learning and understanding come about in classroom.
Axiology
It is the branch of Philosophy, which deals with the study of principles and value. The values are of two types
Ethics and Aesthetics.
Ethics – Moral and Personal values
Aesthetics – Examination of what is beautiful, tasteful etc
It is more than Knowledge, It is quality of life.
Logic
It is the branch of Philosophy that deals with organize reasoning. Reasoning has two types
- Deductive Reasoning – General Case
- Inductive Reasoning – specific Case
Moral Philosophy
It is the branch of Philosophy that consider, what is right and what is wrong.
It explore the nature of morality and examine how people should live their lives in relation to other.
Moral philosophy have three branches
- Meta-Ethics
- Normative Ethics
- Applied Ethics
Meta- Ethics
Meta- Ethics examines the nature, scope and meaning of moral judgement. It deals with logic questions like as
- What is morality?
- What is justice?
- What do you mean by freedom?
Normative Ethics
Normative Ethics examines moral norms ( Standards ) that attempt to define right and wrong conduct. It deals with criteria of what is morality, right or wrong. For examples – If someone murders a person, everyone agrees that it is wrong. There are a lot of answers, why it is wrong
Applied Ethics
Applied ethics examines specific moral issues. It is derived from meta-ethics and normative ethics. It is vital link between theory and practice.
It often requires not only theoretical analysis but also practical solutions.
Nature of Moral Judgement and reactions
Nature of moral judgement is different from every types of judgement. Following characteristics of moral judgement are
- it is normative
- it is axiological
- it is universal
- it is based on involving conclusions based evidence.
- it is based on institution