Philosophy is a branch of human knowledge that involves the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is important as it develops an individual’s thinking, ethics and attitude. It can help to develop creativity, logical and critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Philosophy is also the discipline concerned with the desire for knowledge about values, reality, and society. It is a central part of human culture and has been proposed as the most inclusive science. This paper will examine different branches of philosophy:
Related Posts
Metaphysics
According to Heidemann (2010), Metaphysics explains the fundamental nature of the world and being in it. It examines the real nature and is more concerned with the questions such as the external world, and the existence of God, among others. It shows the world’s reality or is just an illusion (Heidemann, 2010). Do all people have free will or are their lives determined by fate? That is a question that I have grappled with for most years of my life. I happened to be in a group discussion where we were discussing the question, and that is how I developed an interest and started questioning whether people have free will or are held at random by a greater force.
Many people have difficulties realizing their desired conclusions because if they do, it is either free will or fate. I believe in free will, but I also understand that sometimes events happen to me without notice. All I can do at such moments is to choose how to make a response. The problem with fate is that it leaves a person feeling helpless. For instance, people believe their fate is to be losers or broken. I believe that people who think like that set the outcome of their future events through choice, attitude, and not a predestined power.
That is, in some way, all events are fated. Lastly, I have absolute power over my attitude and how I respond to events. From the debate we had, I summarized it in two points.
Epistemology
Epistemology, according to Lihoreau & Rebuschi (2014), is concerned with the scope and nature of knowledge. It majorly questions how knowledge is acquired, what knowledge is, and the extent to which we can acquire knowledge pertinent to any given entity or subject. It can also be described as the study of knowledge and beliefs justified.
What are the limits of human understanding? I asked myself this question one day while reading the essay by John Locke; I have asked myself about this interesting topic since I have been intrigued by the human mind psychology and how people obtain knowledge. According to Locke, a newborn child’s mind is like a white paper sheet that waits to be filled with knowledge (Lihoreau & Rebuschi, 2014). As the newborn baby grows up, his mind slowly becomes filled with opinions, ideas, and knowledge, ultimately leading to understanding.
In conclusion, after reading the four books of John Locke I discovered that the limits of human understanding of knowledge extend as far as the ideas.
Ethics
It is a philosophy branch involving systematizing, recommending, and defending concepts of wrong and right concepts (Fløistad, 2014). What does it mean to be a “good person”? Whenever someone compliments me, I often ask myself whether I am a good person for doing something. I first encountered heard the statement “good person” from my mother, who often told me to be always a good person. Later in life, my school teachers, religious leaders, and older people would tell me that.
I have asked many people what a good person is and got different answers. From my understanding, I believe a good person enjoys helping others and tries to be pleasant and kind even if it is difficult. I think that good person are those who feel guilty when they do something wrong, which they are sorry for. They are considerate and care about the consequences of their actions on others.
Aesthetics
What is beautiful? Is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder, or are there some things that all cultures find beautiful? That is the question I often ask myself whenever I hear people, objects, arts, and thoughts referred to as beautiful. I came across an online forum where people discussed whether beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Aesthetics deals with principles of artistic taste and beauty (Graham, 1997).
From the debate in the online forum, I concluded that beauty has no set or intrinsic definition, meaning, or even value since the definition is purely and inherently based on the observer. Every individual interprets the beauty of thoughts, objects, and people according to their spiritual, social, cultural, emotional, and genetic needs, preferences, and biases. Given that everybody finds beauty in different things, it is right to state that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
Political philosophy
It refers to the general view, the political attitude or belief, or the specific ethic about politics. Political philosophy questions what ought to be a person’s relationship in a society. It deals with different forms of government and the social existence where people could live hence providing a standard by which to judge and analyze existing relationships and institutions (Lacordaire & O’Mahony, 2014).
How much power should the government have? I first asked myself the question of the powers of the government after watching a debate of youths on television before the presidential elections. The idea of government power is complex depending on the type of government a country has. The government’s existence has always been predicated on necessity assumptions. I always believe that people should limit the power of the government to a person’s privacy and expression, not destroy an individual or an entity financially, not imprison without trial, or even kill extrajudicially.
Social Philosophy
Do people behave differently in a crowd than they would individually? In one of my philosophy classes, I asked myself this question when we were discussing mob mentality and what drives mob justice. It studies social behavior and interpretations of social and societal institutions regarding their ethical values (Lacordaire & O’Mahony, 2014).
I tend to believe that individuals in a crowd behave differently under certain conditions compared to when they are alone. Just as the mob mentality theory states, I think a crowd has the power to influence the behavior of a lone person. Some aggressive behaviors in the crowd are so horrific that they cannot be conceived if a single person performs them in isolation.
References
Fløistad, G. (2014). Ethics or moral philosophy.
Graham, G. (1997). Philosophy of the arts: An introduction to aesthetics. London: Routledge.
Heidemann, D. H. (2010). Metaphysics. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Lacordaire, H., & O’Mahony, D. (2014). Political and social philosophy. London: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner.
Lihoreau, F., & In Rebuschi, M. (2014). Epistemology, context, and formalism.
