Introduction to Philosophy: Concepts and Branches
Philosophy is an activity that involves thinking and reasoning about concepts and ideas. The recognition of ignorance is the beginning of true knowledge. Philosophy comes from Greek and means “love of wisdom,” and it predates people like Pythagoras. Philosophy is not knowledge itself, but an attitude that starts when we recognize our ignorance of certain themes and issues:
- How is the world, and how do we know it?
- How should we live in the world, and what is proper human behavior?
Branches of Philosophy
- Theoretical Philosophy: Focuses on reality and knowledge of the world.
- Practical Philosophy: Focuses on human action and moral conduct.
To explain realities, three types of reasoning are used:
- Mythical tale
- Scientific explanation
- Philosophical reasoning
Myth
A myth is a narrative starring extraordinary beings that explains the creation of some element of nature.
Types of Myths
- Theogonies: Describe the origin and descent of the gods.
- Cosmogonies: Describe the origin of the universe.
- Etiological Myths: Explain the appearance of something new or a part of reality.
Scientific Explanation
Scientific explanations are answers to questions that arise from the contemplation of nature.
Myth’s Function and Meaning
- Literal Sense: When the narratives of myths are taken as true, they serve to explain reality, offer models of behavior, and create links.
- Allegorical Sense: Myths have a metaphorical meaning here. They are observed from a literary standpoint, are not believed to be true, and are interesting to reflect on.
Hypothetico-Deductive Method
- Determine the problem you want to solve.
- Formulate a hypothesis to explain the causes.
- Design experiments to test the hypothesis.
Differences Between Science and Myth
Science
- Based on observation and experimentation.
- Temporary: When facts invalidate a hypothesis, it is rejected.
- Predicts future events.
- Copyrighted knowledge: The scientist who developed the theory is known.
- Describes the causes and mechanisms that cause natural phenomena.
- Allows for the transformation of the world through technological applications.
Myth
- A product of imagination.
- A story that purports to be proven but is unable to predict anything.
- An anonymous story that is part of a culture’s history.
- Narrates stories starring supernatural beings.
- Cannot transform the world or produce technology.
Philosophical Reasoning
Philosophical reasoning consists of a reflection on some aspect of reality, the world, or human nature that cannot be answered by observation or experiments because of its abstraction or complexity.
Types of Questions
- Scientific Questions: Concrete questions about reality. Observation and experimentation are used to answer them.
- Philosophical Questions: Questions regarding general concepts. Answers are statements of arguments or reasons.
Philosophy and Science
Both are rational and argumentative, and statements are developed logically. Both seek the truth.
Philosophy and Myth
Philosophy is distinguished from myth by its use of argued speech rather than narrative.
Branches of Philosophy
- Epistemology: Examines the possibility, origin, and limits of knowledge. Within this, the philosophy of science defines and distinguishes science from other languages.
- Logic: The part of philosophy that studies valid arguments, those which guarantee reaching true conclusions if the premises are true.
- Metaphysics: Reflection on everything that exists, in a general sense. Ontology is the discipline of being in general.
- Aesthetics: Addresses the problem of art and tries to answer the question of what beauty is.
- Ethics: Addresses how everyone should behave, what is good, or individual happiness and conduct.
- Political Philosophy: Deals with the community, the best way of living, and the organization of the state.