Branches ofPhilosophy
Philosophy consists of seven interrelated branches or main areas. These are…..
Metaphysics…… which studies the nature of being. What is being? What are it’sfundamental features and properties? What is reality?
Epistemology….. The theory of knowledge? What is knowledge? Is knowledgepossible?
Ethics….. The philosophical study of moral judgments. What moral judgments arecorrect?
Social Philosophy….. The philosophical study of society and institutions. What isthe ideal or best society?
Political Philosophy….. Focuses on one social institution, the state, and seeks todetermine it’s justification and ethically proper organization; closely related to SocialPhilosophy
Aesthetics….. The philosophical study of art and of value judgments about art, andof beauty in general
Logic….. The theory of correct reasoning, which seeks to investigate and establishthe criteria of valid inference and demonstration
Historical Periods of Philosophy
Ancient Philosophy (6th Century B.C.E. through to 3rd Century C.E.); Socrated,Plato, Aristotle…..
Medieval Philosophy (4th Century C.E. thorugh to 16th Century C.E.); Augustine,Aquinas, Anselm…..
Modern Philosophy (15th Century C.E. thorugh to 19th Century C.E.); Decartes,Voltaire, Locke…..
Contemporary Philosophy (20th Century to present); Russell, Whitehead, Sartre…..