Outline of philosophy


The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to philosophy:
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. It is distinguished from other ways of addressing fundamental questions by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument. It involves logical analysis of language and clarification of the meaning of words and concepts.
The word "philosophy" comes from the Greek philosophia, which literally means "love of wisdom".

Fields of philosophy

The branches of philosophy are divided into the many fields of philosophy:

Aesthetics

is study of the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and the creation of personal kinds of truth
is the branch of philosophy that studies the source, nature and validity of knowledge. Central questions -
  1. How is knowledge different from belief?
  2. What can we know?
  3. How does knowledge arise?
  4. Can there be objective knowledge?

    Ethics

- study of the right, the good, and the valuable
- the systematic study of the form of valid inference and reason. Ability to test arguments for logical consistency and understanding the logical consequences of certain assumptions.
- traditional branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world that encompasses it. Metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms: "What is ultimately there?" and, "What is it like?"
- study of philosophical ideas and concepts through time. Issues specifically related to history of philosophy might include : How can changes in philosophy be accounted for historically? What drives the development of thought in its historical context? To what degree can philosophical texts from prior historical eras be understood even today?

Ancient philosophy



Major traditions in philosophy

Ancient

Aesthetics