Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.[1][2] It is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument.[3] The word "philosophy" comes from the Greek φιλοσοφία (philosophia), which literally means "love of wisdom".[4][5][6]

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Philosophy

(Plato, Confucius, Avicenna)

Philosophers[show]

Aestheticians * Epistemologists

Ethicists * Logicians

Metaphysicians

Social and political philosophers

Traditions[show]

Analytic * Continental

Eastern * Islamic

Platonic * Scholastic

Eras[show]

Ancient * Medieval

Modern * Contemporary

Literature[show]

Aesthetics * Epistemology

Ethics * Logic * Metaphysics

Political philosophy

Branches[show]

Aesthetics * Epistemology

Ethics * Logic * Metaphysics

Social philosophy

Political philosophy

Lists[show]

Index * Outline * Theories

Glossary * Philosophy of religion *

Philosophers

Portal

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The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David (1787). The painting depicts the philosopher Socrates about to take poison hemlock.

Plato (left) and Aristotle (right): detail from The School of Athens by Raffaello Sanzio, 1509Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.[1][2] It is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument.[3] The word "philosophy" comes from the Greek φιλοσοφία (philosophia), which literally means "love of wisdom".[4][5][6]

Contents [hide]

1 Branches of philosophy

2 History

2.1 Ancient philosophy

2.1.1 Babylonian

2.1.2 Ancient Chinese

2.1.3 Ancient Graeco-Roman

2.1.4 Ancient Indian

2.1.5 Ancient Persian

2.2 5th - 16th centuries

2.2.1 Europe

2.2.1.1 Medieval

2.2.1.2 Renaissance

2.2.2 East Asia

2.2.2.1 Mid-Imperial China

2.2.2.2 Japanese

2.2.2.3 Korean

2.2.3 Middle East

2.2.3.1 Islamic

2.3 17th-21st centuries

2.3.1 Europe

2.3.1.1 Early modern philosophy

2.3.1.2 19th-century philosophy

2.3.1.3 20th-century philosophy

3 Etymology

4 Main theories

4.1 Realism and nominalism

4.2 Rationalism and empiricism

4.3 Skepticism

4.4 Idealism

4.5 Pragmatism

4.6 Phenomenology

4.7 Existentialism

4.8 Structuralism and post-structuralism

4.9 The analytic tradition

5 Moral and political philosophy

5.1 Human nature and political legitimacy

5.2 Consequentialism, deontology, and the aretaic turn

6 Applied philosophy

7 See also

8 References

9 Further reading

9.1 Introductions

9.2 Topical introductions

9.3 Anthologies

9.4 Reference works

10 External links

Branches of philosophyThe following branches are the main areas of study:

Metaphysics is the study of the nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and body, substance and accident, events and causation. Traditional branches are cosmology and ontology.

Epistemology is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge, and whether knowledge is possible. Among its central concerns has been the challenge posed by skepticism and the relationships between truth, belief, and justification.

Ethics, or "moral philosophy", is concerned primarily with the question of the best way to live, and secondarily, concerning the question of whether this question can be answered. The main branches of ethics are meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. Meta-ethics concerns the nature