4. The 4 core branches of philosophy
While philosophical inquiry can be (and has been)
applied to virtually any subject, one traditional picture
organizes philosophy into four core branches.
These are the branches of
i. epistemology (the study of knowledge),
ii. metaphysics (the study of reality),
iii.ethics value theory (the study of values),
iv logic (the study of correct reasoning).
5. 1. Epistemology, the study of knowledge: What is knowledge? What makes
knowledge possible? Are we born with innate knowledge, or is knowledge only
acquired through sensory experience? Is the world around us ‘real’, i.e. is
perception reality? Are our experiences of the world trustworthy? Is the potential
of human knowledge unlimited? Or is it curtailed by our sensory apparatus and
brainpower? (To learn more about these questions, view our epistemology
reading list).
6. 2. Metaphysics, the study of reality: What is the
fundamental nature of reality? What is time? What is
space? Is there a God? Do numbers exist? What makes
a person a person? What is causation, and can there
be such a thing as a ‘first cause’? Do we have free will?
Why is reality like it is? What is consciousness? What
does it mean for something to exist? Why does
anything exist? (To learn more about these questions,
view our metaphysics reading list).
7. 3. Value Theory, the study of ethics and values: What is
good? What is bad? Is it ever permissible to tell a lie, to
steal something, to intentionally hurt or even kill
someone? If not, why not? What’s the right thing to do,
and what makes it right? What do we owe to each other
as humans? What do we owe to non-human life? What’s
the justification for any moral belief, and where do
morals come from? What is beauty? Is it in the eye of
the beholder, or are there objective standards for
aesthetic quality? (To learn more about the questions on
ethics, view our ethics and morality reading list).
8. 4. Logic, the study of correct reasoning: How do you
prove that a model of logic is correct? How do you
prove that a logical proof is correct? How did nature
produce logic? Is logical reasoning the best kind of
reasoning everywhere in the universe? Can language
be reduced to logic, and is the language of logic
coherent?