Essay on “Philosophy” (634 Words)

Here is your essay on Philosophy:

Philosophy is a systematic enquiry about the ultimate realities in the Universe. It is a study of general principles and understanding of all that comes in the range of human experience. It is a search for comprehensive view of nature. The subject-matter of philosophy is comprehensive indeed. It answers such questions such as:

“What is life for?” “What is the essence of the universe?” “What is the reality?” “Can we know all these?” etc. It seeks to know the real value of things as distinct from their face value. Etymologically, however, the term Philosophy is derived from the two Greek words “Philos” and “Sophia”. “Philos” means “love of and “sophia” means “wisdom”.

So the word philosophy means “love of wisdom” It is thus, concerned with a search for eternal truth. Plato said, “He who has a taste for every sort of knowledge and who is curious to learn and never satisfied may be justly termed a philosopher.”The Sanskrit word (fanrar) represents the eternal quest and represents philosophy, which means vision of truth. In common parlance, however, philosophy, is taken as an attempt to understand all that comes within the future of human experience.

Image Source: philosophy.uchicago.edu

In the words of Alfred Weber” Philosophy is a search for comprehensive view of nature, an attempt at a universal explanation of the nature of things. A person who searches into the reason and nature of things who tries to arrive at a general principle, and who attempts to apply those principles to daily conduct of life, acts like a true philosopher.

According to John Dewey, “Philosophy is critical reviewing of just those familiar things.” According to Raymont, “Philosophy is and increasing effort to discover the general truth that lies behind the particular facts to discern also the reality that lies behind appearances” What is life? What is man? What is man’s origin? What is man’s destiny or goal? Where are some of the questions of philosophical enquiry? Different philosophers try to answer these questions according to their own mature reflection and thinking.

These different answers lead to different philosophies. Love of great men prove that philosophy results in a certain way of life, in certain belief, values and ideals, formulated in terms of experiences and background of the person who expresses them.

Dr. Radhakrishnan says, “Philosophy is a logical enquiry into the nature of reality.”

It must, however, be clearly understood that philosophy is mostly an idea of what is possible and not a record of accomplished facts. Hence it is hypothetical. It may or may not be proved true. It is presently an assignment of something to be tried.

There is no finality. Its chief value lies not in furnishing solutions (which can be achieved only in action) but in defining difficulties and suggesting ways and means of dealing with them. Thus philosophy may be described as ‘generalised thinking in relation to its place, function and value in experience.’

The five major and principal branches of Philosophy are:

(a) Metaphysics or the discussion about the nature of ultimate reality and the cosmos,

(b) Epistemology or the theory of knowledge,

(c) Ethics or the theory of morality,

(d) Aesthetics or the discussion of beauty, and

(e) Logic or the study of ideal method of thought and reasoning. Philosophy influences even the daily life of every individual.

So we have the first abhorism of Purva-mimansa and Uttara-mimansa philosophies of India.

In broader sense, it is a particular way of looking at things. That way, everybody has a particular philosophy of life. Some are pessimists, some are optimists, some are idealists, some believe in destiny, some are realists, some are athiests, and some are materialists, and so on. Everybody has his own attitude towards life. A well marked attitude takes the shape of a particular school of philosophy (or an ism).