Philosophy
Essay by review • February 5, 2011 • Essay • 943 Words (4 Pages) • 1,510 Views
Philosophy considers such general and fundamental questions as the sorts of things that exist, the nature, scope, and limits of knowledge and moral judgments, and the nature of mind and of language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing these questions (such as mysticism or mythology) by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on reasoned argument. The word philosophy is of Ancient Greek origin: П†Ðžâ„-О»ÐžÑ--ПÑ"ОÑ--П†ÐžÐ‡Ðž± (philosophÐ"a), meaning "love of knowledge", "love of wisdom".[1][2][3]
Contents
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* 1 Branches of philosophy
* 2 History
o 2.1 Ancient philosophy
o 2.2 Medieval philosophy
o 2.3 Early modern philosophy (c. 1600 вЂ" c. 1800)
o 2.4 Nineteenth Century Philosophy
o 2.5 Contemporary philosophy (c. 1900 вЂ" present)
* 3 Eastern philosophy
o 3.1 Chinese philosophy
o 3.2 Indian philosophy
o 3.3 Persian philosophy
o 3.4 African philosophy
* 4 Philosophical doctrines
o 4.1 Realism and nominalism
o 4.2 Rationalism and empiricism
o 4.3 Skepticism
o 4.4 Idealism
o 4.5 Pragmatism
o 4.6 Phenomenology
o 4.7 Existentialism
o 4.8 Structuralism and post-structuralism
o 4.9 The analytic tradition
o 4.10 Ethics and political
+ 4.10.1 Human nature and political legitimacy
+ 4.10.2 Consequentialism, deontology, and the aretaic turn
* 5 Applied philosophy
* 6 References
* 7 Further reading
o 7.1 Introductions
o 7.2 Topical introductions
o 7.3 Anthologies
o 7.4 Reference works
* 8 See also
* 9 External links
[edit] Branches of philosophy
To give an exhaustive list of the main branches of philosophy is difficult, because there have been different, equally acceptable divisions at different times, and the divisions are often relative to the concerns of a particular period. However, the following branches are usually accepted as the main ones.
* Metaphysics investigates the nature of being and the world. Traditional branches are cosmology and ontology.
* Epistemology is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge, and whether knowledge is possible. Among its
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