Define Philosophy Essay

Philosophy can be defined in many ways; William Thomas of the Atlas Society defines it as â€Å"a comprehensive system of ideas about human nature and the nature of the reality we live in.   It is a guide for living, because the issues it addresses are basic and pervasive, determining the course we take in life and how we treat other people.†Ã‚   (Thomas, 2005)   Nigel Warburton, author of Philosophy: The Basics explains his definition in simpler terms by saying that philosophy is an activity performed by philosophers and that it is â€Å"a way of thinking about certain sorts of questions.†Ã‚   (Warburton, 2004, p. 1) Many times the word ‘philosophy’ is used in a broad sense to mean â€Å"one’s general outlook on life, or else to refer to some forms of mysticism.†Ã‚   (Warburton, 2004, p. 1)   Other professionals believe that philosophy can not actually be defined, that the question is â€Å"too abstract† or â€Å"too controversial† because philosophers can not seem to come together with one specific answer.   (Sinnott-Armstrong, 2004)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The word philosophy derives from the ancient Greeks and it is defined as the â€Å"love of wisdom.†Ã‚   (Thomas 2005)   The most distinctive feature of philosophy is its use of logical argument.   Philosophers invent their own argument and/or pass judgment on the arguments of others by analyzing and clarifying the concepts surrounding the specific topic in question.   (Warburton, 2004, p. 1) In essence, philosophers simply create a logical question and then ask â€Å"how it all fits together.†Ã‚   (Sinnott-Armstrong, 2004)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Contemporary sciences began with a philosophical inquiry followed by a scientific method of experimentation that leads to the ultimate proof of the truth behind the question.   The most common topics that philosophy addresses are â€Å"metaphysics, the theory of reality; epistemology, the theory of knowledge; ethics, the theory of moral values; politics, the theory of legal rights and government; Aesthetics, the theory of the nature of art.† (Thomas 2005) Though these topics are common, with philosophy you can study any topic as it also includes subfields such as â€Å"philosophy of religion, of law, of economics, of biology, of mathematics, of computers, of psychology, of art, of music, and so on.†Ã‚   (Sinnott-Armstrong, 2004)   The goal of philosophy is to ask the question of how any of these topics are related to each other â€Å"in an overall world view.†Ã‚  Ã‚   (Sinnott-Armstrong, 2004)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The philosopher utilizes the logical argument when working towards a conclusion.   The logical argument takes a broad approach to the question at hand by studying the variety of reasons behind the truth of a specific question.   The logical argument determines â€Å"the condition under which the truth of certain beliefs leads naturally to the truth of some other beliefs† and draws attention to the various ways we are led to believe something that isn’t true.   (Kemerling, 2001) In the logical argument, the philosopher takes into consideration a group of propositions and how each relates to the other in support of a particular conclusion.   The transition from the argument to the conclusion, or the logical connection, is the â€Å"inference on which the argument relies.†Ã‚   (Kemerling, 2001)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The scientific or factual arguments in other disciplines, such as biology or psychology, have a direct path to their answers.   This type of argument will lead â€Å"from truth to truth† or how the premise and the conclusion relate directly to each other in a specific argument.   (Kemerling, 2001) In other words, the conclusion of this type of argument would be illustrated in the statement â€Å"Strawberries are red.†Ã‚   The truth of the factual questioning has â€Å"no bearing on that of the others.†Ã‚   (Kemerling, 2001) The sciences take a focus that is specialized and in a more restricted domain and not how each domain relates to the other.   (Thomas 2005)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Philosophy is a discipline that raises deep questions and how each conclusion relates to the other.   The philosopher searches for a conclusion by â€Å"integrating everything one knows about reality (metaphysics) or humanity (epistemology, ethics, politics and aesthetics).† (Thomas 2005)  Ã‚  Ã‚   In essence, in Philosophy you can study any topic and how they relate to each other in an â€Å"overall world view.†Ã‚   (Sinnott-Armstrong, 2004)   Philosophers’ methods vary, however a similarity is in the fact that each question the authorities in various fields.   For example the medical professionals decide what medication works best for common ailments and religious professionals designate specific texts that detail what is required, the philosopher does not declare that any one entity can determine what is right or wrong.   (Sinnott-Armstrong, 2004)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many argue that there is no point to study philosophy, that questioning the â€Å"meaning of our existence† can be dangerous and that ultimately humans will begin to believe that they are paralyzed.   (Warburton, 2004, p. 3)   It is human nature for us to question why we exist, do our lives have purpose or are we living in a dream.   People who study philosophy believe that it is important to thoroughly examine these questions because of the overwhelming believe that â€Å"an unexamined live is not worth living† (Warburton, 2004, p. 3) Philosophers believe that humans base their lives on principles that seem entirely sound and just, however until those principles are examined in depth and the prejudices are removed, we can not be entirely certain of their validity.   (Warburton, 2004, p. 3)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Philosophers will continue to study various broad topics and make an attempt at combining various world views into a single coherent system of thought.   This particular science is beneficial because by analyzing the arguments that support or disprove certain topics at hand humans learn various skills that can be transferred into other areas of life.   (Warburton, 2004, p. 4)   Historically the study has proven itself to provide us with various solutions to life issues that would have otherwise remained a mystery. References Kemerling, G. (2001, October 27). Arguments and Inference. Retrieved from http://www.philosophypages.com/lg/e01.htm Sinnott-Armstrong, W. (2004, May 17). What is Philosophy? Retrieved from http://www.dartmouth.edu/~phil/whatis/wsa.html Thomas, W. (2005). What is Philosophy? Retrieved from http://www.objectivistcenter.org/cth-32-409-FAQ_Philosophy.aspx Warburton, N. (2004). Philosophy:   The Basics (4th ed.). New York: Routledge. Retrieved May 1, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=110822702