How does philosophy differ from other disciplines, especially with respect its aims and methods? How do philosophical questions differ from questions asked... [Show More] in other disciplines? What is Philosophy?
exists when and where definite knowledge does not.
Philosophy doesn't rely on experiments or observations, and it doesn't have a formal method of proof
Even field of scholarship has its own methodologies, its own method of 'proof', and its own method of asking the right question that leads to further understanding. The difference between philosophy and social science is no exception.
In particular, philosophy concerns a great many things that social science does not. And the methodology is very different, too. The best social science relies on statistics to apply the scientific method to the science. Philosophy does not.
On the use of statistics, Fisher may have been overly optimistic, but I still think a lot of what he said in R A Fisher: Statistical Methods Introduction still holds true, at least for the best social science.
Philosophers differ from other disciplines seeking knowledge in that they seek to understand knowledge in general: they seek to understand what knowledge itself is.
Philosophy is the critical, analytical, and purely theoretical study of man, his environment, cosmos, religion. It is also the love of wisdom. It is different from the studies of other subjects because:
1) It studies every other subject. Philosophy, does not have a specialised or cut out subject matter like other subjects. there is philosophy of law, philosophy of biological science, philosophy of cosmos, philosophy of religion, philosophy of morals, philosophy of science and many others.
2) Philosophy has many schools of thought compared to other subjects. Ranging from empiricism,rationalism, relativism, objectivism, functionalism, pragmatism and even behaviourism,just to name a few.
3) Philosophy makes you question all your basic assumption. it invites you to think rationally and critically on any and all subject matter, be it material or immaterial. Hence why it is sometimes called an abstract science. It raises the bar of the kinds of question society demands to be asked.
4) Philosophy also studies the basic and underlining principles guiding the other subjects and it does not just accept anything for the sake of accepting.
What is the relationship of philosophy and science? Philosophy and religious faith? Philosophy and history, art, psychology, anthropology, politics, and literature? Is philosophy a single path and all other paths are different?
Let's look at science for example,
Science is using experimental or mathematical proofs to try and determine the nature of the universe, It uses facts and data to prove something.
Then we have Philosophy,
In Philosophy, we use rational thinking, logic and thought experiments to try and argue for a specific case, as there really is no right and wrong answer, since it is impossible to find one in the first place. For example, using mathematical reasoning to find the meaning of life. It's impossible.
This is why age old philosophical questions such as "Do we have freewill" or "Does God Exist" have been debated for hundreds if not thousands of years, there is no way to prove something in Philosophy, only argue for it.
Actually, historically, 'philosophy' (which means the Greek 'love of wisdom') was first used of Pythagoras, 6th century BCE) was the term used for many forms of inquiry we would (today) call geometry, mathematics, cosmology (the origin and nature of the cosmos), the history of ideas, politics, ethics, our relationship with the good, the true and the beautiful, the sacred (including the existence of God or gods), the significance of birth, aging, death, and the possibility of life after life, and more. The widespread, comprehensive nature of philosophy is reflected today in the fact that any person who receives a "Ph.D." is technically receiving a doctorate in philosophy (Ph.D. stands for doctor philosophiae in Latin).
Philosophy, today, may be practiced in a way that links and is in partnership with multiple other disciplines.
The different fields of inquiry (law, medicine, logic, theology, mathematics, the natural sciences, psychology, etc.) came to form their own disciplines over time as they emerged as distinctive forms of inquiry with their own philosophical presuppositions. So, in the practice of law, one assumes the existence of persons in society who are capable of rational disputes over responsibility and the importance of comparing the cogency of different models of governance. If, rather than assume such a 'common sense' perspective, one wants to question whether any of our perceptions and beliefs about reality are reliable this would not be a question for lawyers, but a question that would be addressed in what is often called epistemology (or the theory of knowledge). You will find below some observations on the relationship of philosophy to:
Science
Religious faith
History
Art
Psychology
Literature
Though many other areas are equally significant.
Philosophy and science: the term "science" emerged in English in the 19th century. Earlier, someone we called a scientist would be called a natural philosopher. In fact, Darwin thought of himself as a natural historian. The sciences themselves may be thought of as based on a philosophy of nature and inquiry, an account of observations and hypotheses, confirmation and falsification, reason and reliability. The history of science was, from the beginning in Ancient Greece, virtually inseparable, but today the sciences are often thought of as providing an increasing body of evidence and theories that are vital for philosophical reflection. For example, is biological evolution (and chemistry and physics) able to account for ethics and religion? Moreover, the value of science is frequently a topic for philosophical inquiry. In the history of science one may also see the influence and study of human life, animal consciousness, space and time that have important implications for our values and the meaning of life.
A good philosophy department, in our view, is one that takes seriously both the intrinsic value of philosophy as a field, while also appreciating how bc1e50abb0875b616b9fe46ddbc92227philosophy plays a role in all other disciplines -for example, physics rests on or involves a worldview or philosophy of the physical and methods- and how students with non-philosophy majors can benefit from taking one or more courses in philosophy. Science majors may particularly be drawn to courses in the philosophy of science, the philosophy of space and time, the Making of the Modern Mind, for example. An art major may benefit from the course Aesthetics, offered by the Philosophy Department, which focuses on the philosophy of art.
THE ART OF WONDERING
James Christian, PhD
The following pages may cause you to wonder
That's what philosophy is.
Wondering.
To philosophize is to wonder about life---
about right and wrong,
love and loneliness,
war and death,
about freedom, truth, beauty, time...
and a thousand other things.
To philosophize is to explore life.
It means breaking free to ask questions.
It means resisting easy answers.
To philosophize is to seek in oneself the courage to ask painful questions.
But if, by chance, you have already asked all your questions,
and found all the answers---
if you're sure you know right from wrong,
and whether God exists,
and what justice means,
and why men fear and hate and pray---
if indeed you have done your wondering
about freedom and love and loneliness
and those thousand other things,
then the following pages will waste your time.
Philosophy is for those who are willing to be disturbed
with a creative disturbance.
Philosophy is for those who still have the capacity for
Wonder! [Show Less]
