Overview

Philosophy explores fundamental questions about knowledge, ethics, reality, and human purpose. It forms a crucial part of the humanities by providing frameworks for understanding how we think, live, and govern. Major thinkers from around the world have shaped disciplines such as logic, metaphysics, ethics, and political theory.

Key Areas of Philosophy

• Ethics: The study of morality, right and wrong, and how we should live (e.g., Aristotle, Kant).
• Metaphysics: Examines the nature of reality, being, and existence (e.g., Plato, Heidegger).
• Epistemology: Investigates the nature and scope of knowledge (e.g., Descartes, Locke).
• Political Philosophy: Explores justice, governance, and rights (e.g., Hobbes, Rousseau, Marx).
• Aesthetics: The philosophy of art and beauty (e.g., Hume, Kant, Nietzsche).
• Eastern Philosophy: Includes Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism—emphasizing harmony, balance, and self-awareness.

Influential Philosophers

• Socrates: Socratic method, ethics through dialogue.
• Plato: Theory of Forms, ideal state (The Republic).
• Aristotle: Empiricism, virtue ethics, logic.
• Descartes: Rationalism, "I think, therefore I am."
• John Stuart Mill: Utilitarianism and liberty.
• Simone de Beauvoir: Feminist philosophy, existential ethics.
• Confucius: Social harmony and virtue in relationships.
• Nietzsche: Will to power, critique of morality.

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