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philosophy
[ fi-los-uh-fee ]
noun
- the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct.
- any of the three branches, namely natural philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysical philosophy, that are accepted as composing this study.
- a particular system of thought based on such study or investigation:
the philosophy of Spinoza.
- the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge, especially with a view to improving or reconstituting them:
the philosophy of science.
- a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs.
- an attitude of rationality, patience, composure, and calm in the presence of troubles or annoyances.
philosophy
/ fɪˈlɒsəfɪ /
noun
- the academic discipline concerned with making explicit the nature and significance of ordinary and scientific beliefs and investigating the intelligibility of concepts by means of rational argument concerning their presuppositions, implications, and interrelationships; in particular, the rational investigation of the nature and structure of reality (metaphysics), the resources and limits of knowledge (epistemology), the principles and import of moral judgment (ethics), and the relationship between language and reality (semantics)
- the particular doctrines relating to these issues of some specific individual or school
the philosophy of Descartes
- the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a discipline
the philosophy of law
- archaic.the investigation of natural phenomena, esp alchemy, astrology, and astronomy
- any system of belief, values, or tenets
- a personal outlook or viewpoint
- serenity of temper
philosophy
- A study that attempts to discover the fundamental principles of the sciences, the arts, and the world that the sciences and arts deal with; the word philosophy is from the Greek for “love of wisdom.” Philosophy has many branches that explore principles of specific areas, such as knowledge ( epistemology ), reasoning ( logic ), being in general ( metaphysics ), beauty ( aesthetics ), and human conduct ( ethics ). Different approaches to philosophy are also called philosophies. ( See also epicureanism , existentialism , idealism , materialism , nihilism , pragmatism , stoicism , and utilitarianism .)
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Other Words From
- anti·phi·loso·phy adjective noun plural antiphilosophies
- nonphi·loso·phy noun plural nonphilosophies
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Word History and Origins
Origin of philosophy1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of philosophy1
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Example Sentences
Letting the most junior members set the agenda might be a good philosophy for a Montessori preschool.
He teaches philosophy at Leuphana University, Lüneburg, and at the University of Fine Arts, Berlin.
Her philosophy of language class is all tangled up in trying to explain English sentences to Martians with elaborate use of logical notations.
Even though most of the messaging in Silicon Valley is about creating a better world for us, making our lives easier and innovating, it also moves under the philosophy of move fast and break things.
Raphaël Millière is a Presidential Scholar in Society and Neuroscience in the Center for Science and Society at Columbia University, where he conducts research on the philosophy of cognitive science.
Tom Cotton credits Harvard as the place where he “discovered political philosophy as a way of life.”
His philosophy is Everything to Someone rather than Something for Everyone.
The course Jackson taught at VMI, “Natural and Experimental Philosophy,” was brutally difficult.
Each step of the way, Booker has thrived on the philosophy that your actions matter more than what you preach.
But Moglen, an Internet scholar, has developed something closer to a philosophy.
It lacks convincingness perhaps from the fact that Thomass theology is so largely philosophy, as Roger Bacon said.
Of course not,” said Wilkins, “proverbial philosophy asserts and requires that doctors should disagree.
But he thought of the inexorable beating of that pulse of life—of life, and the will to live as her philosophy desired.
Such being the adjustment, the philosophy of the inhalation may be easily understood.
Kilkelly was an excellent travelling companion, readily pleased, and taking things as they came with easy philosophy.
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Related Words
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More About Philosophy
What does philosophy mean?
Philosophy is a field of science that investigates reality and human existence, as in I am currently studying philosophy in college.
The word philosophy is also used to mean a specific doctrine based on such investigation, as in I wrote my term paper on the philosophy of Plato.
And philosophy is used more generally to mean a set of beliefs or an outlook, as in My philosophy on life is to be kind to everyone.
Philosophy is a complex, abstract field of science. It often analyzes difficult and ultimately unanswerable topics, such as the meaning of life, the morals and ethics of humanity, and what it means to be human. Philosophy is divided into the three branches of natural philosophy (nature and the natural world), moral philosophy (morals and ethics), and metaphysical philosophy (the nature of existence and origins of the universe).
In a related sense, the word philosophy is used to refer to the specific doctrines or schools of thought of a person who studies philosophy, such as Plato and Socrates, two famous ancient Greek philosophers.
More generally, the word philosophy means any set of beliefs or values. It could be a philosophy on how to organize societies, as with political philosophy. Or it could be your personal outlook or viewpoint.
Example: Jaime did some research on feminist philosophy to better understand feminism.
Where does philosophy come from?
The first records of the word philosophy come from around 1250. It ultimately comes from the Greek philosophos, meaning “lover of wisdom.”
Humans have long wondered about the meaning of life and the nature of our universe. We still study many philosophies of the ancient Greeks, whom we think of as the creators of philosophy. However, some academics now think the ancient Egyptians also wondered about what awaited them after death and what their place was in the world. It is sometimes difficult to say where philosophy ends and religion begins because the two often overlap and attempt to answer the same questions.
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What are some other forms related to philosophy?
- philosopher (noun)
- philosophical (adjective)
- philosophize (verb)
- antiphilosophy (adjective, noun)
- nonphilosophy (noun)
What are some synonyms for philosophy?
What are some words that share a root or word element with philosophy?
What are some words that often get used in discussing philosophy?
How is philosophy used in real life?
Philosophy is a common word that most often means the particular scientific discipline or a set of beliefs.
Bran Stark is behaving like every freshman after their first philosophy class
— Graham Hall (@GrahamHall_) August 7, 2017
"Say it louder and more times in a row so they'll hear you." -philosophy of drunk people
— Sara Bareilles (@SaraBareilles) July 29, 2017
Mayor de Blasio fires back at @EricCantor over criticism in schools speech, says GOP agenda is "dangerous philosophy" for public education
— Russell Berman (@russellberman) January 8, 2014
Try using philosophy!
True or False?
If you are studying the philosophy of Aristotle, you are studying his ideas and doctrine.
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