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Philosophy is not able to answer all the questions that people may ask simply because some questions don't have answers. Philosophical questions are those that set the limits of human possibilities and describe the boundaries of human existence. One type of question is called a pseudo question. Pseudo questions are false. They are known to be rhetorical questions. Rhetorical questions are useful in our society but this doesn't mean that they are authentic questions. .
Philosophy also answers questions through a method called dialectic. Dialectic may be thought of as the art of disciplined conversation. The use of this method can be traced to Socrates. Dialectal reasoning is simple and may be practiced by anyone and like most skills it has to be perfected through practice. Three things are noteworthy about the Platonic/ Socratic treatment of dialectic. Platonic dialectic assumes that the truth exists and is accessible to us through diligent practice of the method. Platonic dialectic assumes that the language mirrors reality. Platonic dialectic cherishes the public pronoun "we".
Obstacles to the method.
The aim was to demonstrate the need for justifying ones assertion through sustained argument. Any claim that is put forward without evidence is a mere assertion. As Socrates observed "the unexamined life is not worth living".
The branches of philosophy.
Historically, philosophers have identified four main branches of their discipline. They are logic, metaphysics, epistemology and axiology. These branches of philosophy are clusters of problems and questions.
Logic comes from the Greek word logos, which means reasoned discourse. Logic can also be defined as the sciences of evaluating arguments. The purpose of logic is to assist us in recognizing and employing good arguments while avoiding fallacies.
The term epistemology means knowledge and which is the branch of philosophy that studies nature, source validity and limits of knowledge.
In the following paragraphs I will discuss the many aspects, the origin of logic, ethics and philosophy along with their meanings. ... They are logic, metaphysics, epistemology and axiology. ... Logic can also be defined as the sciences of evaluating arguments. ... It is divided into ethics, social and political philosophy and aesthetics. ... The next origin of philosophy that I will cover is ethics. ...
The basic definition of the word philosophy is, as an intellectual discipline, the study of ethics, metaphysics, physics, the science of knowledge, logic, and politics (Hallsall). ... The first element of philosophy is ethics. Ethics is a system or code of moral values. ... He also considered ethics a large part of his logic (Copleston 270). ... Philosophy is a controversial topic because of the diverse areas covered, physics, metaphysics, ethics, and politics. ...
Stoicism is a very complex philosophy, which many ideas and concepts can be explained by their theories of philosophy, religion, logic, ethics, and emotion. ... For the Stoics, the theory of what they called 'logic' is not fatalistic. Formally, the theory logic was standardly divided into just two parts. ... The theory ethics tell us that the goal that we all have is happiness. ... Stoicism is a very problematical philosophy, which many ideas and concepts can be described by their theories: the ways of life, belief in God, logic concept, ethics theory, and viewpoints toward emotio...
Ethical Theorist: John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill did not create a system of ethics but rather defended a system created by his father, James Mill, and Jeremy Bentham. ... Mill's conception of logic was not entirely that of modern logicians; besides formal logic, what he called "the logic of consistency", he thought that there was logic of proof, that is, a logic that would show how evidence proved or tended to prove the conclusions we draw from the evidence. ... Throughout the System of Logic Mill attacked the "intuitionist" philosophy of William Whewell and Sir William ...
What does one think when they hear the word Philosophy? ... What then is Philosophy? ... Ethics, another branch of philosophy, is concerned with the methods of good and bad, and right and wrong. Logic, the last branch, deals with correct reasoning. ... You could then ask whether your belief, that there is a God, is of good or bad reason, which is answered in the field of Logic. ...
His main contributions are to logic; he concentrated on ethics and metaphysics as well. ... This begins his most famous logic work, Categories. ... Only one of six works on logic, deal with formal logic as Aristotle understood the subject. ... Other very influential aspects of Aristotle's work are his ideas on ethics and politics. ... He invented this branch of philosophy. ...
Despite this, virtue ethics experienced somewhat of a revival. ... Elizabeth Anscombe published a paper in the 1950's named 'Modern Moral Philosophy', which questioned morality on the basis of: How can we be ethical if there is no ultimate standard or lawgiver (God)? Through such logic, she presented her belief that moral laws cannot exist if God does not exist. ... Michael Slote believes that Virtue ethics is based on common sense and our intuitions. ... Through this example, we can see how Slote, similarly to Foot, places motive at the foundation of virtue ethics in what is k...
This paper seeks to verify the definition of political philosophy, to further analyze its origins and give evidence for the origin of political philosophy in Ancient Egypt. ... James also criticizes their acceptance of philosophy, which he says is a replica of Ma'at, because they were the first to reject philosophy and bases his argument for the "Stolen Legacy " on this. ... " Egyptian Philosophy, Ma'at, is described as "the foundational ideal of ancient Egyptian religion and ethics"(Karenga, 2004). ... "Ethics" is an issue of human will and human permission. ... But Ma'at, ...
Ayres, the philosphical father of situational ethics, would argue that the criteria for an ethical course of action are logic, validity of data, and the consequnces. "... ... Ayres The Central Quenstions of Philosophy pp. 226). ... Ayres The Central Questions of Philosophy pp 266) However, this does not mean that all moral standpoints are to regarded as equal to one another. "... one can argue ad hominem. ... A.J Ayres, as with other situational ethicists, views this criteria (logic, validity of data, and the consequences) as an acceptable substitute for "objective" standards. ... When transve...
