Definition of Philosophy
It is very difficult to define philosophy in a few sentences and as such there is no standard definition of it. Philosophy is a study of six subjects together. There have been several philosophers in the world like Aristotle and Socrates. These people were from ancient Greece and Rome. Socrates is perhaps one of the most admired and known philosophers in the world even today. Even Confucius is one of them, and his sayings are used in philosophy even today.
Philosophy is a general study of the problems. It studies the reasons for existence, ethics and morals of people, knowledge, art and also rationalism. In general, the subjects of philosophy question human behavior and why we are made in such a way. There are many branches of philosophy which are very elaborate. Metaphysics is an integral part of the subject and studies the existence of universe itself. It also studies the relationship between the human mind and body and it is further branched into cosmology and ontology.
Epistemology is another branch that studies the nature and scope of knowledge and whether the knowledge is possible. Some of the main concerns of the subject have been skepticism and also the relationship between truth, belief and justification. Ethics studies the morals and the philosophical knowledge that people have. Every human being has ethics and morals of some kind. It makes them behave in a certain way and such aspects are studied with finery. Political philosophy is the study of the government and its relationship with common people. Aesthetics studies art and the different forms of it.
Branches of Philosophy
Philosophy is a very extensive subject. It consists of metaphysics, epistemology and ethics and morals. Most people who are interested in philosophy are preachers and the church organizations. Philosophy is not a very appealing subject and not everybody can understand it that well. However, it has answers for several of the day to day problems that people face in their life.
The study of metaphysics is that branch of the philosophy that studies the existence of this earth and all its living beings. It also expands the knowledge about what is out there and what is out there. The study of existence is very complicated and there are no correct answers as how so many living begins were created. Everyone has their own theory and different religious beliefs also influence the study of metaphysics.
Epistemology is the study of knowledge. In this realm of philosophy, we determine how much knowledge we have about the creation and what is that we are lacking in terms of the knowledge we carry.
Ethics is the study in philosophy that studies our action and why people behave in a certain way. In general, it determines the moral thing to do in life for the well being and betterment of the society. Only when person has a sense of ethics, there could exist in harmony in nature.
Philosophy also studies politics. Esthetics is also studied by philosophy, and it involves examining art. It also involves studying what life can be like with art and how people use it to express their feelings.
Difference between Philosophy and Religion
Several philosophers question whether religion is a part of philosophy as a subject. Every person born in this world has a religion and social status. They act or behave according to their social stature. Religious values are dictated to people by the religion they follow. These religious values are intricately woven with traditions and culture. Most people believe in what their religion preaches, and we all worship some type of god or a supernatural power.
Religion is a very philosophical subject and in turn philosophy is a part of the religion. The religion is the main source that provides several values and ethics to the philosophy. Both religion and philosophy are intricately woven with each other and question a lot of things about human value. There are very powerful similarities between the two subjects and one can draw several parallels.
Both religion and philosophy question human values, and what is good and what is bad. They both have the same answers and do not discriminate the values in any way. Every religion can be philosophical to a certain extent but there is more to religion than philosophical values like traditions and culture. Such traditions and culture play a very important role in keeping the society together. So, this it has another philosophical angle to it in order to determine what is so important to us in our life we need not be religious yet we do the right things. That is perhaps determined by the philosophical values that we carry.
Difference between Philosophy and Science
We live in a world where it is driven by technology and they are an integral part of the society. Our culture and traditions also have been influenced by technology to a great extent. Technology has brought in a lot of good things to us and the world is a much more advanced place today. Technology also has helped us to learn several new things about the world. It is nothing but the brain child of human beings. In fact, it can be said that technology is a type of science that exists today.
Philosophy mostly studies the aspects of life for which finding answers is very difficult. It studies why we face so many problems and how human emotions play a role. How the mind and heart are related and why do we behave in certain ways. When it comes to science and technology and philosophy, the latter seems to take back seat.
There is no direct correlation between these subjects but there is an intricate understanding and a form of relationship. In the ancient world, people believed in philosophy and looked up to religious leaders for explanations and direction in their life. Whereas in the modern world people depend on technology and they can depend on it for almost anything. In the modern world, even the faith in god has been questioned, but not the faith in technology. The latter comes with a string background of proof and evidence and so it is easier to believe. However, philosophy is just a thought process and cannot be proven to people.
Objectivity in Philosophy
Science is going through a major transformation and today the world weighs their relationships based on theory and data. Philosophy is also a science that studies the various aspects of human existence and the delicate fabric of society on a much higher level. What does philosophy do? For people, who have faith in it in a religious way, or in a self improvement angle or just as an interest philosophy offers a wealth of knowledge. They find answers to several questions that otherwise is not possible.
Philosophical values also differ in various parts of the world. For example, philosophy in the west is much different from what is found in the southeast part of the world or the east. It is mainly driven by religion and religious faith. It is very difficult to argue who is right and who is wrong based on the conflicting values. In the end a human mind has to agree with it. So, objectivity is not something that can be easily achieved when it comes to philosophical values.
Philosophy is not backed with data and it is only theoretical. Some amount of data can be achieved in the form of research and statistics science on the other hand is always backed up with data and proof. It has more objectivity and explains the mysteries in life. However, the achievement of science is very low compared to the amount of problems that people have in the society. Philosophy on the other hand offers an explanation theoretically though not backed with proof but it is more directional.