Introduction to

Philosophy

Philo Sophia

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 What is Philosophy?
• The Ancient Greek word
“philosophia” was probably coined
by Pythagoras and literally means
"love of wisdom" or "friend of
wisdom".

Philo Sophia
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 What is Philosophy?
• Philosophy is the study of the general
and fundamental nature of reality,
existence, knowledge, values, reason,
mind, and language.
(Source: Wikipedia)

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The noticeable people

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Some Philosophical questions
• What is good?
• What is beauty?
• Do we have free will?
• Does the world around us exist?
• What is a person?
• What is truth?
• What is evil?
• What is the relationship between mind and body?
• What is science?
• Does God exist?
• What is philosophy?
• What is love?

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Branches in Philosophy

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 Branches in Philosophy
• Philosophy, like most academic fields, actually
consists of several main branches.
• These branches themselves have sub-
branches and can become very specialized
as one progresses through the field of study.

Metaphysics Epistemology
Logic Aesthetics
Ethics.

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 Metaphysics
• Metaphysics is the study of the most
general features of reality, such as
existence, time, the relationship
between mind and body, objects
and their properties, wholes and
their parts, events, processes, and
causation.

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 This branch deals with
the question of REALITY
and BEING.
 It deals with questions about the non-

physical world, such as :-
“Do angels exist?” and “What
do we mean by real?”
 Metaphysics (cont.)
• Metaphysics is sometimes split up
into
o Ontology
• The philosophy of real life and living things
o The philosophy of mind
o The philosophy of religion
• But these sub-branches are very
close together.
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 This branch is also known as MORAL
PHILOSOPHY.
 It deals with questions about right and
wrong, e.g.
 “Is morality subjective?”
 “What makes actions “right” and
“wrong”?”
 Epistemology
• Epistemology is concerned with the
nature and scope of knowledge, such
as the relationships between truth,
belief, perception and theories of
justification.

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 This branch deals with the theory of
knowledge.
 It considers questions like:-
 “How can we possibly know
anything?”
 “Is there such a thing as certainty?”
 Epistemology (cont.)
• Typical questions of interest
o What is knowledge?
o How can we know anything?
o What is science?
o What is truth?

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 Logic
• Logic is the study of the principles of
correct reasoning.
• Arguments use either deductive
reasoning or inductive reasoning.

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 This branch of Philosophy deals with the
METHOD of argument.
 It offers answers to questions such as:
“Is that reasoning sound?”
“Is that statement true?”
“Is that conclusion valid ?”
 Logic (cont.)
• Typical questions of interest
o How can we reason correctly?
o How does the truth of an argument's premise affect the
truth of its conclusion?
o What do the words we use mean?
o How can we say things (especially ideas) in a way that
only has one meaning?

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 This branch deals with beauty in Music
and Art.
 It offers answers to questions like:
 “Is that good music?”
 “Is that painting better than this one ?”
 Science vs. Philosophy vs.
Religions

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 Religions Philosophy Science

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 Philosophy vs. Science
• Philosophers like to start with their
conclusions, and work to prove them
• The primary tool of science is
actual experimentation
o From observing the results of experiments,
one comes to conclusions

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 Philosophy vs. Religions

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