Slide presentation about the 3 major branches of Philosophy.

1. Branches of Philosophy
Reality, Knowledge and Value

2. THREE BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY
METAPHYSICS
-What is the nature of REALITY?
EPISTEMOLOGY
-What is the nature of KNOWLEDGE?
AXIOLOGY
- What is the nature of VALUES?

3. METAPHYSICS
ONE OF THE KEY CONCEPTS OF UNDERSTANDING PHILOSOPHIES
CONCERNED WITH REALITY AND EXISTENCE
ASKS: WHAT IS THE NATURE OF REALITY?
SUBDIVIDE INTO TWO CATEGORIES
1.ONTOLOGY: What is the nature of existence
2.COSMOLOGY: Origin and organization of the universe

4. EPISTEMOLOGY
RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE
LOGIC IS A KEY DIMENSION TO EPISTEMOLOGY
TWO KINDS OF LOGIC:
1.Deductive logic: from general to specific
2.Inductive logic: from specific facts to generalization

5. AXIOLOGY
EXPLORES THE NATURE OF VALUES
 ETHICS: study of human conduct and examines moral values
 AESTHETICS: values beauty, nature, and aesthetic experience (often
associated with music, art, literature, dance, theater, and other fine
arts)

6. MAJOR TRADITIONAL PHILOSOPHY:
IDEALISM
CONSIDERED OLDEST PHILOSOPHY OF WESTERN CULTURE
THE WORLD OF MIND, IDEAS AND REASON IS PRIMARY
 METAPHYSICS: stresses mind over matter (nothing is real except for an
idea in the mind)
 EPISTEMOLOGY: all knowledge includes a mental grasp of ideas and
concepts
 AXIOLOGY: values are rooted in reality
IDEALISTS BELIEVE THAT VALUES CAN BE CLASSIFIED AND ORDERED INTO
A HIERARCHY

7. LEADING PROPONENTS OF
IDEALISM
• PLATO- Greek Philosopher
- considered father of idealism
- ”Allegory of the Cave” from The Republic
• AUGUSTINE- Theologian of 4th & 5th centuries
- Applied Plato’s assumptions to Christian thought
• DESCARTES, KANT & HEGEL
- Descarte: “I think, therefore I am”
- Kant: certain universal moral laws- categorical imperatives
- Hegel: approached reality as “contest of opposites”

8. MAJOR TRADITIONAL PHILOSOPHY:
REALISM
The antithesis of Idealism
Universe exists whether mind perceives it or not
 METAPHYSICS- reality composed of matter (body) and form (mind)
 EPISTEMOLOGY- sense realism (knowledge comes through senses)
 AXIOLOGY- values derived from nature

9. LEADING PROPONENTS OF REALISM
• ARISTOTLE- father of realism
-student of Plato
-argued that knowledge can be acquired through senses
• FRANCIS BACON
-advanced a rigorous form of inductive reason
• JOHN LOCKE
-theory of tabula rasa (no such thing as innate ideas)
• COMENIUS, ROUSSEAU, and PESTALOZZI

10. MAJOR TRADITIONAL PHILOSOPHY:
NEO-THOMISM
• Dates to the time of Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
• Also known as theistic realism
“God exists and can be known through faith and reason”
 Metaphysics- God gives meaning to universe
 Epistemology- hierarchy of knowing God
 Axiology- unchanging moral laws

11. CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHIES:
PRAGMATISM
Also known as experimentalism- experience or things that work
Philosophy of 20th century developed by John Dewey
 Metaphysics- regard reality as an event or process. Meaning is
derived from experience in environment.
 Epistemology- truth is not absolute but determined by consequences.
Arrived at by inquiry, testing, questioning, retesting, ect.
 Axiology- primarily focused on values. Determined by own
experiences

12. LEADING PROPONENTS OF
PRAGMATISM
• AUGUSTE COMTE
-suggested science could solve social problems
-problem solving was key
CHARLES DARWIN
-theory of natural selection implied reality was open ended, not fixed
AMERICANS: Charles Pierce, William James and John Dewey

13. CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHIES:
EXISTENTIALISM
Appeared as a revolt against the mathematical, scientific
philosophies that preceded it.
Focus on personal and subjective existence
 Metaphysics- no purpose or meaning to universe. No world order or
natural scheme of things
 Epistemology- we come to know truth by choice. The authority is
found in self.
 Axiology- choice to determine value.

14. LEADING PROPONENTS OF
EXISTENTIALISM
• SOREN KIERKEGAARD
-Danish philosopher/theologian
-Father of Existentialism
-Rejected scientific objectivity for subjectivity and choice
• MARTIN BUBER
-Jewish philosopher/theologian
-”I/Thou” relationship- divine and human are related
• HUSSERL and HEIDEGGER
• JEAN-PAUL SARTRE
-We construct our own existence

15. ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY
Sought out to clarify, and define philosophies
Began in post WWI era- Vienna Circle
 Studied the alienation between philosophy and science
 Established the concept of logical positivism: there are logical and
empirical types of scientific expression
 Shifted to Analytic philosophy in 1950’s
 Analytic philosophy has recently focused on political philosophy,
ethics and philosophy of human sciences