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Philosophy and The Branches of Philosophy

Name:
Ancient Greek Philosophers
Date:
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Philosophy and The Branches of Philosophy

PART 1
Socrates claimed, “The unexamined life is not worth living”(The Apology: A Defence

of Philosophy, n.d). By this sentence, Socrates means that a life lived without thought is

lacking purpose. Applying our highly developed ability of the mind to elevate our life above

that of simple species is what it means to become completely human. Because if we don't

think, we are just animals that eat, sleep, work, and reproduce. Understanding the life lessons

learned at each given time enhances one's interaction with the self and the universe. This is

what philosophy introduces us to. Philosophy is based on the desire to acquire knowledge and

learn how to use it with wisdom. Philosophy is the study that looks for the answers to

fundamental questions that people have about the universe and themselves, the limits of

scientific consciousness, their ethics, and the purpose of their existence (Metcalf, 2020).

Arguments supported by logic and evidence make it easier to determine whether they

favor one side or the other. Philosophy is therefore founded on logic, which is derived from

the knowledge that has been used to study with wisdom. This helps one see that philosophy

isn't just dependent on personal beliefs. There are three main branches of philosophy –

1. Epistemology: Epistemology is derived from the Greek words episteme meaning

“Knowledge” and logy which means “The study of”. This branch deals with the

limits of knowledge and truth as well as the methods used to attain them. Socrates

thought about epistemology that wisdom is the capacity to apply reason to

knowledge to employ it in useful ways. Instead of focusing on what we learn,

wisdom emphasizes how we use what we learn. To attain true wisdom is by

differentiating knowledge from opinion. Knowledge is undeniable truth in an

argument; therefore it is true in every circumstance based on a justified true belief.

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The answer to the question "what is knowledge?" is Socrates' contribution to

epistemology. He argues that knowledge is nothing more than an idea or a reality

that is appealing due to the way it is practiced globally. Looking at why you think

something instead of just what you believe might help you identify knowledge

from opinion(Socrates: The Father of Western Philosophy, n.d). For instance, the

dialectic approach of truth-seeking analyzes competing points of view in which

one is incorrect, and the other is correct. Philosophy seeks to distinguish fact from

opinion and seeks the truth because of the logic and reasoning found in dialectic.

Using this method enables biologists and medical professionals to distinguish

between information in their field that is mostly evidence-based or logically

reasoned and knowledge that is subject to opinion (The Socratic Approach, n.d).

2. Metaphysics: Metaphysics is that branch of philosophy that deals with the most

general and abstract questions such as those pertaining to the nature of existence,

the categories of space and time, the existence of God, or the immortality of the

human soul. Metaphysics, therefore, seeks to provide a comprehensive account of

the world that is proof against the uncertainties of experience. Metaphysical

questions that you will find dealt with in philosophy include what is real and what

is apparent in our experience. In short, it can describe “What is reality made of?”.

Every entity and concept, according to Plato, has a related Form. Forms, however,

do not exist in our thoughts the way a notion does. They really do exist. They

specifically exist in the world of being, which Plato defined as the underlying,

ultimate reality. Plato’s philosophy states that “essences are real entities. A real

thing exists that is the essence of goodness: it is called the Form of Goodness”

(Applying Plato’s Metaphysics, n.d). The essence of metaphysical ideas that do

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not physically exist but do exist in the intellectual realm is sometimes referred to

as Platonic Heaven. For instance, where is the "law of gravity"? Nobody can find

it. We only know that a thing falls when it is dropped. Since these entity forms are

unknown, they must play a significant part in the theory of knowledge. For

instance, when we are aware of how an object responds to being dropped, we may

appropriately express the law of gravity (Applying Plato’s Metaphysics, n.d).

3. Ethics: The branch of philosophy called ethics considers the study of morals and

values. In accordance with ethical norms, ethics questions morals and a person's

values. The fundamental element of ethics is the concept of right and wrong. The

fundamental concept of ethics, which was created by Socrates and Aristotle, is a

virtue. Socrates offers ideal conceptions of virtue based solely on knowledge,

whereas Aristotle considers all elements of this idea and places special emphasis

on the self-regulation factor. Because it is based on the natural traits of

personality, Aristotle's theory is thought to be more trustworthy. “What is a good

life and how ought I live it?” can be answered by Aristotelian ethics. What sets

humans apart from other creatures is our essence. Humans can think abstractly,

not just about what to do in a particular circumstance, but also generally. Humans

can devise the greatest strategies for achieving their happiness-oriented goals.

Moral virtue, according to Aristotle, is the tendency to act morally and serves as a

medium between extremes of excess and deficiency, both of which are considered

vices. Instead of using logic and teaching, we gain moral goodness mostly via

habit and practice. To be virtuous, one must approach pleasure and misery with

the proper perspective. In contrast to a rash person, a coward will experience

excessive dread when faced with danger (Applying Aristotle’s Ethics, n.d).
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PART 2

Philosophical thought means seeking knowledge and wisdom through challenging,

criticizing, and defending the ideas that a given culture upholds to discover the truth. To

elaborate, philosophy improves people's capacity for problem-solving. It aids in the analysis

of ideas, definitions, claims, and issues. It improves our ability to categorize concepts and

problems, address the issue of value, and process through a lot of information to get the key

information. Understanding how to be ethically intelligent by exercising critical thinking is

made possible by engaging in philosophical discussions of competing for moral viewpoints.

For instance, I need to have more knowledge than just my viewpoint to distinguish between

good and evil. Theoretical logical thinking can be highly sought after to think outside the

box, which can sometimes be essential in corporate solutions or in governmental/political

strategy, as it has been studied that information can be confirmed by justified true belief.

Since opinions in philosophy must be justified via ongoing questioning of beliefs and the

development of responses, correct philosophical thinking can only be attained through

knowledge and ethics. The answer to the question "What kind of person should I be?"

(Applying Aristotle’s Ethics, n.d) was provided by Aristotle. People should think carefully

about how to have a good life.

In today's education, several ideas that were created by Greek philosophers are taught.

My beliefs and opinions are influenced by the concepts of the philosophers. Despite Aristotle

being a student of Plato, the two philosophers disagreed on some key issues, including

humanity, the Platonic Heaven, and the idea of essence. My perspective and opinion

recognize that both are correct in their respective conceptions of the search for the truth, with

the exception that Aristotle believed there was no realm outside of this one that could define

the essence of uncharacterizable forms, such as the existence of God. Such questions, in my

opinion, can be answered by focusing on the one that has the strongest supporting reasoning
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and facts. This makes me think of what made Socrates the best philosopher of his day.

Socrates' understanding was based on questioning to discover the truth. For instance, I don't

think Aristotle could have studied what happens after the soul leaves a body. Only Plato's

philosophy, which is built on comprehending Platonic Heaven, could have provided solutions

to this example.

As was covered in Part 1 of the assignment, Aristotle used biology to characterize and

separate humans from other species to explain the essence of humanity, which also deals with

ethics. Let's use Socrates and his companion Polemarchus as an example to better

comprehend the question, "What is the good life?" It's crucial to understand right and wrong

in terms of logic if you want to live a decent life. The evaluation, criticism, and defense of a

society's ideals are all aspects of philosophical reasoning. The philosophical analysis of

values is crucial to the development of human societies. Socrates, an ancient Greek

philosopher, challenged his companions to define justice, one of the most important ideals in

their society. Justice, in the words of his friend Polemarchus, is doing good to one's friends

and doing harm to one's enemies. But Socrates demonstrated to him and his companions that

this definition was inadequate. How could it be reasonable to harm a just enemy or support a

friend who is also unjust? Socrates demonstrated the necessity for his associates to re-

examine their conception of justice in this manner. Such a response is a justified true belief

that can assist someone in learning the proper information (Lesson Explainer: Benefits of

Philosophical Thinking, n.d.).

Word count: 1521

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Reference

Lesson Explainer: Benefits of Philosophical Thinking. (n.d.). Nagwa.

https://www.nagwa.com/en/explainers/473164169802/#:%7E:text=involves

%20thinking%20critically.-,Philosophical%20thinking%20involves%20pursuing

%20knowledge%20and%20searching%20for%20truth.,that%20a%20particular

%20society%20holds.

Metcalf, T. (2020, October 10). Philosophy. 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory

Anthology. https://1000wordphilosophy.com/2020/10/10/philosophy

Sophia :: The Apology: A Defence of Philosophy. (n.d.). Sophia.

https://app.sophia.org/user_sessions/new

Sophia :: The Socratic Approach. (n.d.). Sophia. https://app.sophia.org/user_sessions/new

Sophia :: Applying Plato’s Metaphysics. (n.d.). Sophia.

https://app.sophia.org/user_sessions/new

Sophia :: Applying Aristotle’s Ethics. (n.d.). Sophia. https://app.sophia.org/user_sessions/new

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