Philosophies

Ethical frameworks, epistemology, and major philosophical thought experiments

Definition

Philosophy is the systematic study of fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, and mind.

The main branches of philosophy

Philosophy is generally organized into several major branches. Metaphysics asks questions about the fundamental nature of reality — what exists, and what it means for something to exist. Epistemology asks questions about knowledge — what we can know, and how we can justify claiming to know it. Ethics asks questions about right and wrong action, and what makes a good life. Logic, covered in its own article in the Mathematics section, studies the structure of valid reasoning itself.

Major historical traditions

Philosophy has developed distinct traditions in different parts of the world. Western philosophy traces a documented lineage from ancient Greek thinkers through the medieval, Enlightenment, and current periods. Eastern philosophical traditions, including Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist philosophical thought, developed largely independently, addressing many of the same fundamental questions using different methods, concepts, and assumptions.

Philosophy as a method

Philosophy is a discipline for a specific set of conclusions and its method through assumptions.