Branches of Philosophy

A philosophy is a set of ideas that attempts to answer BIG questions as a means of understanding the nature of broad (or large) areas of study.

small question: Who is the best Hip Hop artist of today?

BIG QUESTION: Why do some people like/ not like Hip Hop?

BIGGER QUESTION: Is Hip Hop art?

BIGGEST QUESTION: What is art?

Philosophy asks BIG questions in several areas or topics. 

The areas in which these BIG questions are asked are called "branches".

Some of the Branches of Philosophy

Metaphysics

Epistemology

Ethics

Aesthetics

Political Philosophy

Metaphysics- seeks to find answers to questions about nature and the characteristics of the 

things we experience through our senses.

     Examples of questions in the area of metaphysics:

          - What is quantity?

          - Is everything we experience real?

          - Does nature operate according to a set of laws?

Epistemology - seeks answers about knowledge and our ability to

gain knowledge.

     Examples of questions in the area of epistemology:

          - How do we know what we know?

          - Are we born with knowledge?

          - How can we know if something is true or false?

          - What is the best way to know something?

Ethics - answers questions about how humans should behave as

well as defining the meaning of "good" and "bad" behavior.

     Examples of questions in the area of ethics:

          - How should people behave?

          - How do we put into practice those things we think to be

             "right"?

          - Is trust necessary for a society to function properly?

Aesthetics - answers questions about the characteristics of beauty,

art, and what appeals to people (taste).

     Examples of questions in the area of aesthetics:

          - What is beauty?

          - Can something be "not beautiful" and "not ugly" at the same

             time? If so, then what is it?

          - Why are tastes different from person to person?

Political Philosophy - answers questions about the role government 

plays in society.

     Examples of questions in the area of political philosophy:

          - What is the best form of government?

          - What is the relationship between the individual and 

            government?

          - How much power should government have?

You are taking a civics class.  In this class, you will study how

American government was designed, why it was designed a certain

way, the ideas used to design it, and the proper role of citizens 

within American government.

Civics is the study of the way in which a government works, and

the rights and duties of citizens.

What branch of philosophy does civics fall under? 

wisdom - the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise.

The term “philosophy” is built off two Greek words, “philo” which means love, and “sophia” which mean wisdom; and so the term means “love of wisdom”.   A philosophy however is not necessarily wisdom.  Philosophy, like wisdom, is built off knowledge and knowledge is built off experience. The combination of knowledge and experience allows people to identify patterns in life. The use those patterns as a way of understanding reality, is the use of a philosophy.  Philosophers will use a knowledge of history (which are the experiences of mankind during a long period of time) to find patterns, and after identifying those patterns (pattern recognition), he records them for use in understanding society.

1) What is philosophy concerned with?

2) A term used to label an area in which philosophy asks questions is known as?

3) What are the branches of philosophy?

4) What types of answers are sought in the following branches of philosophy?

     - metaphysics

     - epistemology

     - ethics

     - aesthetics

     - political philosophy

5) What is civics?

6) What does civics study?

7) Under what branch of philosophy does civics fall?