Section A: 1.2 The nature and purpose of philosophy



Human beings are motivated by an innate sense of wonder. What is unique to the human species is the search for wisdom – through the ages we see questions of meaning reshaped by successive generations. The birth of philosophy occurred in ancient Greece in the 6th century BC. It started the movement away from a mythic culture to one founded on reason and logic.

Philosophy strives to make clear through rational thought the nature of the universe and the nature of meaning and existence. It consists of five main branches; anthropology, epistemology, ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Each asks distinct questions about the human person and our relationship to the world around us. 

Anthropology studies the human nature and can be seen as the root of practices such as psychology and sociology. 

Epistemology is the study of knowledge, which we encounter when looking at age of enlightenment thinkers such as Descartes. 

Ethics is the study of moral behaviour, the fruit of which can be seen in the moral theories of Bentham, Mill and Kant. 

Logic is the study of reasoning and its use by Aristotle gave birth to scientific thinking. 

Metaphysics is the study of being and the universe – something we see in Plato’s exploration of the nature of reality and his dualistic understanding of the human person.

Socrates has two quotes that perfectly sum up the character of philosophy. The first is his instruction to ‘know thyself’ – stressing his belief that self-knowledge was of primary importance, and that too many of us passively accept culture without questioning how it shapes us. Secondly, Socrates claimed that ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’ – and it is with this belief that reflective societies encourage critical and rational thinking about the meaning and purpose of life, in a bold effort to passionately uncover the secrets of the universe.

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