Philosophy: The word comes from the Greek word “philosophia,” which means “love of wisdom.” This branch of study exists because of the human desire to understand their own existence and the pursuit of wisdom. It seeks to understand the nature of reality using all available faculties, such as reason, value, mind, language, etc. It involves critical thinking, logical reasoning, and the examination of assumptions. It deals with fundamental, basic, and profound questions that may or may not have definitive answers, but have certainly kept human curiosity alive. It tries to establish links that might aid in the process of understanding reality, existence, or anything humans have pondered for ages.
We will be examining many philosophers, as listed below. We will be looking into their works and will try to make sense of them. Before we start, there are certain terms we will encounter, such as epistemology, ethics, logic, and metaphysics, so we will first define these terms:
Epistemology: It is a branch of philosophy that explores various aspects of knowledge, such as the source, nature, and extent/limitations of knowledge.
Logic: It is the study of reasoning, involving deductive or inductive methodology.
Ethics: The study of morality and right conduct.
Metaphysics: The study of reality and existence.
Plato has accepted transcedental realism and metaphysical idealism. Read more here.
¹ This is my understanding of their work, and it might not align with every interpretation.
² If you’re unsure about any of these terms, please refer to online resources.