Philosophy, Language

philosophy and
philosophers

The study of the fundamental nature of

knowledge, reality, and existence, especially
when considered as an academic discipline.

a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding

principle for behavior.

Traditionally, there are five main branches of

philosophy. They are:
1.Metaphysics, which deals with the
fundamental questions of reality.
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy
responsible for the study of existence. It is the
foundation of a worldview. It answers the
question "What is?" It encompasses everything
that exists, as well as the nature of existence
itself. It says whether the world is real, or merely
an illusion. It is a fundamental view of the world
around us.

Metaphysics is the foundation of philosophy.

Without an explanation or an interpretation of
the world around us, we would be helpless to
deal with reality. We could not feed ourselves, or
act to preserve our lives. The degree to which
our metaphysical worldview is correct is the
degree to which we are able to comprehend the
world, and act accordingly. Without this firm
foundation, all knowledge becomes suspect.
Any flaw in our view of reality will make it more
difficult to live.

Ethics is the branch of study dealing with what is

the proper course of action for man. It answers
the question, "What do I do?" It is the study of
right and wrong in human endeavors. At a more
fundamental level, it is the method by which we
categorize our values and pursue them. Do we
pursue our own happiness, or do we sacrifice
ourselves to a greater cause? Is that foundation
of ethics based on the Bible, or on the very
nature of man himself, or neither?

Ethics is a requirement for human life. It is our means

of deciding a course of action. Without it, our actions
would be random and aimless. There would be no way
to work towards a goal because there would be no
way to pick between a limitless number of goals. Even
with an ethical standard, we may be unable to pursue
our goals with the possibility of success. To the degree
which a rational ethical standard is taken, we are able
to correctly organize our goals and actions to
accomplish our most important values. Any flaw in our
ethics will reduce our ability to be successful in our
endeavors.

Esthetics is the study of art. It includes what art

consists of, as well as the purpose behind it.
Does art consist of music, literature, and
painting? Or does it include a good engineering
solution, or a beautiful sunset? These are the
questions that aimed at in esthetics. It also
studies methods of evaluating art, and allows
judgments of the art. Is art in the eye of the
beholder? Does anything that appeals to you fit
under the umbrella of art? Or does it have a
specific nature? Does it accomplish a goal?

Art has existed through all of recorded human history.

It is unique to humans because of our unique form of
thinking. Its importance is based on this nature,
specifically, man's ability to abstract. Art is a little
understood tool of man to bring meaning to abstract
concept. Esthetics is important because it delves into
the reason why art has always existed, the burning
need of mankind through the ages to see the world in
a different, clear way. It further evaluates art by the
standard of human life, and whether it accomplishes
the job of satisfying man's intellectual needs, or
whether it tends to hurt or make worse those needs.

Much of the time philosophers study what

other people take for granted. They ask
"Why?" and "How?" when others are content
to accept what seems obvious and in need of
no justification. Philosophy thus involves
explanations, arguments, and their critical
evaluation. Here argument is meant not in
the sense of dispute or controversy but in the
sense of "arguing (for or against)", or "making
a case (for or against)".

How do we know?
Why do we know?
What do we know?
What can we know?

These five major branches of philosophy do not,

however, exist in isolation. There are many other
topics in philosophy which deal with one or more
of these branches. For example:
Philosophy of education
Philosophy of language
Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of religion
Philosophy of science
Political philosophy

Three areas of philosophy relevant to the

understanding of language
Epistemology or the theory of knowledge

The Philosophy of Language

Linguistic Philosophy

Is knowledge innate or acquired?

Are we somehow pre-destined to know certain

things?
How far do we acquire knowledge only from
experience?
Do we arrive at our view of the world through
reason alone?
Do we deduce all we know from experience?

What is it to know ?
What is truth?
What counts as evidence for or against a particular
theory?
What is meant by a proof?

Epistemology is the area of philosophy that is concerned with

knowledge. The main concerns of epistemology are the definition
of knowledge, the sources of knowledge (innate ideas, experience,
etc.), the process of acquiring knowledge and the limits of
knowledge. Epistemology considers that knowledge can be
obtained through experience and/or reason.
Defining Knowledge
A primary concern of epistemology is the very definition of
knowledge itself. The traditional definition, since Plato, is that
knowledge is justified true belief, but recent evaluations of the
concept have shown supposed counterexamples to this definition.
In order to fully explore the nature of knowledge and how we
come to know things, the various conceptions of what knowledge
is must first be understood.

Rationalism is the philosophical view that truth

can be derived from valid reasoning, without any
experience to confirm it. Associated closely with
rationalism is the concept of "innate" ideas and
truths that, which is opposed to the concept of
empiricism.
Knowledge that is derived entirely from reason,
without involving empirical evidence, is said to
be known a priori.
Notable Rationalists
Plato
Rene Descartes

Empiricism is the philosophical view that most, or all, knowledge is

derived from experience. This means both senses and inner thought
contrary to rationalism.
Few empiricists deny the possibility of a priori knowledge, that is, things
that are known intuitively through reason rather than direct experience.
The laws of logic and mathematics are examples of a priori knowledge.
(John Stuart Mill, though, still held that we come to learn how to acquire
this knwoledge through experience.)
Despite this acceptance of some rational knowledge, empiricists reject
the idea that reason produces any certain knowledge about the world
itself. Empiricists also strongly deny the existence of any innate
knowledge, that is, any knowledge that exists in the mind prior to
experience or rational activity (ideas that one is supposedly born with, for
example).
Notable Empiricists
John Locke
George Berkeley
David Hume

Behaviourism (or behaviorism in American

English), is a position in philosophy of mind and
psychology which asserts that speak of mental
states may be reduced to speak of behaviours. In
other words, to the behaviourist,
thinking and feeling are essentially behaviours.

For the behaviourist, the phrase Jane is thirsty

means nothing more than Jane is likely to drink
(or try to drink).