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 such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument.
The word philosophy has its roots in the Greek language. The word Philos means “love” and Sophia means “wisdom.” The two words combined making the word “philosophy” that comes from the Greek φιλοσοφία (Philosophia), which literally means “love of wisdom“.
The field of philosophy includes questions about:
-the nature of reality (metaphysics)
-the nature of knowledge (epistemology)
-values and ethics (ethics)
-how we should live our lives (political philosophy/applied ethics)
Philosophers are people who love wisdom. They want to understand how the world works and what our place is in it. To do this, they use reason and critical thinking to examine ideas and arguments.
Philosophy is one of the oldest academic disciplines—it dates back to Ancient Greece! In fact, many of the great philosophers were from Greece, including Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and many others.