philosophy

PHILOSOPHY - meaning

             Philosophy in a general sense is conceived a person’s “sum of his fundamental beliefs and convictions”. We have some ideas concerning physical objects, our fellow persons, the meaning of life, death, God, right and wrong, beauty and ugliness, and the like. Of course, these ideas are acquired in a variety of ways, and they may be vague and confused. Philosophy is a guide for living; because the issues it addresses are basic and pervasive, determining the course we take in life. Hence we can say that all the aspects of human life are influenced and governed by the philosophical consideration. Philosophers always ask these questions: Who we are? Is there a higher existence that determines our existence? What is the relationship between nature and human beings? What is the meaning of life? Are our senses reliable in telling us about the truth of the universe? How do we get to know about the world? What is the relationship between the mind and the body? They further ask these questions: What is happiness? What is virtue? What is the relationship between individuals and the collective? How can we organize a society and an economy that promote the common good? What methods should we employ to find out truth from false statements? Can we ever hope to find out the truth of our existence? Philosophy is reflection of the above questions. Hence, philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, law, justice, validity, mind, and language. Moreover, philosophy is rationally thinking, of a more or less systematic kind about the general nature of the world – metaphysics or theory of existence, the justification of belief - epistemology or theory of knowledge, and the conduct of life - ethics or theory of value.  Oxford Collins Cobuild Dictionary (2006) – • Philosophy is the study or creation of theories about basic things such as the nature of existence, knowledge, thought, or about how people should live. NOTES 3 • Philosophy is a particular theory that someone has about how to live or how to deal with a particular situation. Babylon English Dictionary: Study the principle of existence behavior and knowledge; study the nature of human thought & of the world. The word philosophy comes from a combination of two Greek words- “philos” meaning “love” and “sophi” meaning “wisdom.” Etymologically, philosophy means the love of wisdom. To love something is to desire it. So, for many Greeks, the philosopher was the one who desired wisdom. Wisdom is not only knowledge. One may have knowledge, but he may not be wise. Wisdom constitutes knowledge plus its implication in all circumstances. Thus philosophy gives man that wisdom with the help of which they understand the whole universe and its implication in relation to themselves & the people around. Hence philosopher could also be characterised as the “friend of wisdom”. In this regard, Plato in his “Republic” stated that “He who has a taste for every sort of knowledge and who is curious to learn and is never satisfied may be termed philosopher”. It means a philosopher is interested in all type of knowledge where as a physicist in physical process of universe, an historian in the past events, a geographer in the natural condition of the universe, a biologist in the biological process etc. But a philosopher has a multidimensional outlook and interest. The philosopher is thoughtful, remains in a thoughtful mood, being in search of new ideas, new knowledge with the help of his growing wisdom. Philosophers are interested in the first principle and the final conclusion of all branches of knowledge. Philosophers come under different philosophical school of thought such as idealist, naturalist, pragmatist, existentialist, perennialist, realist, essentialist, progressivist etc. according to their approach to answer the philosophical enquire. Philosophies vary from culture to culture place to place and time to time. Thus different person having their different ideologies, ways of life, tend to have different types of philosophies. Here, the search of philosopher is for understanding Man, Nature and the Universe. Philosophy is a system of beliefs about reality. It is integrated view of the world. It includes an understanding of the nature of existence, humankind, and its role in the world. Philosophy is the foundation of knowledge. It provides premises by which man can discover truth, and uses his mind to support his life. In conclusion we can say that philosophy is a critical examination of reality characterized by rational inquiry that aims at the Truth for the sake of attaining wisdom.