Branches or Areas of Philosophy

Branches or Areas of Philosophy 

(1) METAPHYSICS 

The word metaphysics is derived from the Greek word meta (above, beyond) and phusika (nature) and means "beyond nature". 

For Aristotle, the term metaphysics meant “first philosophy,” discussion of the most universal principles; later the term came to mean comprehensive thinking about the nature of things. 

Metaphysics attempts to offer a comprehensive view of all that exists. It is concerned with such problems as the relation of mind to matter, the nature of change, the meaning of “freedom,” the existence of God, and the belief in personal immortality. 

Metaphysics as a branch of philosophy is divided into sup-branches; 

1- Ontology is the study of being in general. 

2- Philosophical cosmology is the study of cosmos. 

3- Philosophical theology is the study of God. 

4- Philosophical anthropology is the study of human nature and human existence. 

(2) Axiology 

The word axiology is derived from the Greek words axiom (value) and logia (study) and means "the study of value ". 

Axiology is the philosophical investigation of the nature of value(s) and of the foundations of value judgments. 

Axiology as a branch of philosophy is divided into sup-branches; 

1- Ethics and it concerns itself with the questions of morality. What is right and what is wrong in human relations? What are the basic standards of morality? What is the nature of moral virtue? 

2- Aesthetics and it concerns itself with the questions of art and beauty. The following questions reflect the concerns of aesthetics: what is beauty? What is art? Can we distinguish between art and non-art? What are the standards of aesthetic judgment? 

3- Social and political philosophy investigates value judgments concerning society, the state, and the individual’s relation to these institutions. The following questions reflect the concerns of social and political philosophy: Why should individuals live in society? What social ideals of liberty, rights, justice, equality and responsibility are desirable? Why should anyone obey any government? 

(3) EPISTEMOLOGY 

In general, epistemology is the branch of philosophy that studies the sources, nature, and validity of knowledge. What is the human mind Capable of knowing? From what sources do we gain our knowledge? Do we have any genuine knowledge on which we can depend, or must we be satisfied with opinions and guesses? Are we limited to knowing the bare facts of sense experience, or are we able to go beyond what the senses reveal? The technical term for the theory of knowledge is epistemology, which comes from the Greek word episteme, meaning “knowledge.” There are three central questions in this field: 

1- What are the sources of knowledge? Where does genuine knowledge come from or how do we know? This is the question of origins. 

2- What is the nature of knowledge? Is there a real world outside the mind, and if so can we know it? This is the question of appearance versus reality. 

3- Is our knowledge valid? How do we distinguish truth from falsity? This is the question of the tests of truth, of verification. 

(4) LOGIC 

The word logic is derived from the Greek word logos and means “reason" ". Logic is the study concerned, first, with arguments: 

What is an argument? 

What makes an argument work? 

What makes an argument fail? 

Second, logic is concerned with the laws of logic in accordance with which good arguments must precede, e.g. the law of identity, that of non-contradiction, and that of excluded middle. 

Most influential in logical inquiry as pursued in the western world have been the logical treatises of the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 bce), whose collection is called Organon, which, in Greek, means “instrument”.