Related questions:
THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY: BRIEF ANALYSIS
A brief exposition on the nature of what philosophy is would gradually bring us to understand its scope. In a highlighted format, these issues are presented thus;
i. The Love of Wisdom
A philosopher is someone who is obsessed with wisdom. He is an advocate of knowledge and truth. He desires to understand what it means to know and what it takes to consistently and constantly apply knowledge rightly. Thus, he cherishes wisdom (the right application of knowledge). From this, we can deduce that everyone is and can be a philosopher. As long as one is curious to know the what, why, where and how of occurrences around him, one is definitely demonstrating an important virtue in philosophy. However, there remains a difference between “learned” philosophers and “lay-men” philosophers. A few scholars belong to the former group, while everyone and anyone with a sound mind belongs to the latter group.
ii. The asking of fundamental questions
Philosophy is the practical act and habit of asking fundamental questions about reality. These are those basic and objective questions that strike at the very heart of any issue that is concerned with existence as a whole. In order to properly fulfil this role, a philosopher has to become annoyingly inquisitive. This is not to foster irritation or to prove intellectual power, but mainly to dive deep into salient issues in order to discover what they are really about.
iii. A critically rational enquiry
Philosophy as it were actually began in “wonder”; wonder about the usual and unusual occurrences in the universe. These “wonder” sprung out of leisure of the Greeks, whom were the original proponents of philosophy. Pioneered by “Thales” the first philosopher, these ancient Greek thinkers wondered about what the ultimate and unifying principle of the universe could be. This dimension influenced the growth of philosophy out of “religion and mythology” which were based on pseudo-beliefs about the gods. Hence, there was a need to be rational, sensible and intellectual about sensitive issues on human existence. This led to the birth of philosophy “a rational enquiry that is critical”.
iv. Subjectivity and Objectivity
Man (subjectivity) and the universe (objectivity) are the dual beings that philosophy is generally concerned with. The ontological issue of what man is and how he relates interactively with the universe around him is deeply grounded in the very presupposition of philosophy. In relation to this, the concept of “change but basic continuity” is synonymous with the nature of man and the universe as philosophical issues. For example, man is born today and dies tomorrow (change); but, as some men die, some others are born automatically (basic continuity). Likewise, we have dry seasons now, and then rainy seasons next (change); but this is a cyclical process which goes on continually unending. Thus, philosophy seeks to analyse the relationship between these beings and their usual occurrences.
v. Dialectical Argumentation
The art of “dialectics” entails the verbal communication between a subject and an interlocutor, of which there is a systematic pattern of “question and answer” in order to dive deep into issues, and reach for its underlying truth. In doing this, there entails some level of argumentation and logical reasoning, which asserts a very unique quality of philosophy.
The above discussed points, encapsulates in a nutshell, what philosophy is, and entails. Having done this, we now then progress to evaluating the scope of philosophy.
THE FIVE CONTROVERSIAL ELEMENTS OF PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy is said to be highly controversial. The root cause of the controversy among philosophers are these five elements; ”age”, “culture”, “area of perspective”, “school of thought” and “ambition”. They are hereby evaluated;
i. Age/Era/Epoch
Philosophers’ views are invariably affected by the age and time in which they live. Hence, social orientation affects philosophical development. For example; “Niccolo di Bernado Machiavelli” was a political philosopher of the medieval era of philosophy. During his time, the political state experienced massive instability, which was characterised by radical and swift changes in government. Hence, everything which his political philosophy entailed was naturally aimed at instituting political stability within the state.
ii. Culture
The culture of a philosopher, which implies the way of life he was born into, would surely affect his views about reality. For example; the ancient Greek culture revolved around, speculating what the ultimate reality and unifying principle of the universe was or could be. So, the culture of the pre-philosophical era was largely mythological and religious, with poets like Homer and Hesiod dominating the cultural scene with psychological traditions of why and how the gods control universal occurrences. Even after then, when the philosophical tradition was pioneered by Thales, the Greek culture of speculating what the unifying universal principle was, remained primary.
iii. Area of Perspective
By this we simply refer to the five branches of philosophy, which are; “metaphysics”, “epistemology”, “ethics”, “logic” and “the infrastructure of disciplines”. Hence, the way a “metaphysician” would view reality would surely clash with that of an “epistemologist”. Also, the views of a “moral philosopher” would tend to negate that of a “philosopher of science”; and so on and so forth.
iv. School of thought
This is somewhat similar to the element of "area of perspective". This is due to the fact that, one’s philosophical school of thought is directly influenced by a relevant branch of philosophy. Thus, the conceptions of an idealist, for example, would definitely negate that of a materialist, or an empiricist, or a utilitarian, or even worse a sceptic; and so on and so forth.
v. Ambition of the philosopher
Every philosopher has an agenda; a goal which he intends to execute in the philosophical battlefield. These agenda varies among philosophers, and depends upon what is to be achieved. For example; “René Descartes”, due to the fact that he was unhappy and fed up with this controversial and partisan nature of philosophy; came up with an agenda. And this was to destroy the basic foundations of philosophy, doubt all its postulated theories, then rebuild philosophy on a more certain and objective foundation that would be immune to controversy. Whether he achieved this ambition is not so necessary; but what matters is that it definitely influenced his ideology and conception of philosophy.
THE SCOPE OF PHILOSOPHY
The term “scope” simply refers to all those things that fall within the umbrella of a concept. Hence, the scope of philosophy entails those elements in reality that is encapsulated in the day to day activities of the philosophical enterprise. Simply put, the scope of philosophy discusses what philosophy talks about and what philosophy does not talk about; and this is highlighted below;
· What philosophy talks about
Philosophy talks about universals and general realities. It sees things from the widest perspective. It perceives things as a whole. It considers the entirety of being as a vast interconnected system. This is why philosophy is regarded as a universal discipline. For example; if philosophy were to talk about man, it would do so in connection with those elements that are globally and objectively present in all men.
· What philosophy does not talk about
In contrast to the above, philosophy, due to its nature does not talk about particulars or individual entities. It is not concerned with specifics. It would never consider reality in isolation from the whole. For example; considering the problem of democracy, philosophy is not concerned with the democracy of a particular country alone (like Nigeria) but the concept of democracy on a global scale.
- Discuss the notion (nature) and scope of philosophy.
(YOUR INTRODUCTION)
THE NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY: BRIEF ANALYSIS
A brief exposition on the nature of what philosophy is would gradually bring us to understand its scope. In a highlighted format, these issues are presented thus;
i. The Love of Wisdom
A philosopher is someone who is obsessed with wisdom. He is an advocate of knowledge and truth. He desires to understand what it means to know and what it takes to consistently and constantly apply knowledge rightly. Thus, he cherishes wisdom (the right application of knowledge). From this, we can deduce that everyone is and can be a philosopher. As long as one is curious to know the what, why, where and how of occurrences around him, one is definitely demonstrating an important virtue in philosophy. However, there remains a difference between “learned” philosophers and “lay-men” philosophers. A few scholars belong to the former group, while everyone and anyone with a sound mind belongs to the latter group.
ii. The asking of fundamental questions
Philosophy is the practical act and habit of asking fundamental questions about reality. These are those basic and objective questions that strike at the very heart of any issue that is concerned with existence as a whole. In order to properly fulfil this role, a philosopher has to become annoyingly inquisitive. This is not to foster irritation or to prove intellectual power, but mainly to dive deep into salient issues in order to discover what they are really about.
iii. A critically rational enquiry
Philosophy as it were actually began in “wonder”; wonder about the usual and unusual occurrences in the universe. These “wonder” sprung out of leisure of the Greeks, whom were the original proponents of philosophy. Pioneered by “Thales” the first philosopher, these ancient Greek thinkers wondered about what the ultimate and unifying principle of the universe could be. This dimension influenced the growth of philosophy out of “religion and mythology” which were based on pseudo-beliefs about the gods. Hence, there was a need to be rational, sensible and intellectual about sensitive issues on human existence. This led to the birth of philosophy “a rational enquiry that is critical”.
iv. Subjectivity and Objectivity
Man (subjectivity) and the universe (objectivity) are the dual beings that philosophy is generally concerned with. The ontological issue of what man is and how he relates interactively with the universe around him is deeply grounded in the very presupposition of philosophy. In relation to this, the concept of “change but basic continuity” is synonymous with the nature of man and the universe as philosophical issues. For example, man is born today and dies tomorrow (change); but, as some men die, some others are born automatically (basic continuity). Likewise, we have dry seasons now, and then rainy seasons next (change); but this is a cyclical process which goes on continually unending. Thus, philosophy seeks to analyse the relationship between these beings and their usual occurrences.
v. Dialectical Argumentation
The art of “dialectics” entails the verbal communication between a subject and an interlocutor, of which there is a systematic pattern of “question and answer” in order to dive deep into issues, and reach for its underlying truth. In doing this, there entails some level of argumentation and logical reasoning, which asserts a very unique quality of philosophy.
The above discussed points, encapsulates in a nutshell, what philosophy is, and entails. Having done this, we now then progress to evaluating the scope of philosophy.
THE FIVE CONTROVERSIAL ELEMENTS OF PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy is said to be highly controversial. The root cause of the controversy among philosophers are these five elements; ”age”, “culture”, “area of perspective”, “school of thought” and “ambition”. They are hereby evaluated;
i. Age/Era/Epoch
Philosophers’ views are invariably affected by the age and time in which they live. Hence, social orientation affects philosophical development. For example; “Niccolo di Bernado Machiavelli” was a political philosopher of the medieval era of philosophy. During his time, the political state experienced massive instability, which was characterised by radical and swift changes in government. Hence, everything which his political philosophy entailed was naturally aimed at instituting political stability within the state.
ii. Culture
The culture of a philosopher, which implies the way of life he was born into, would surely affect his views about reality. For example; the ancient Greek culture revolved around, speculating what the ultimate reality and unifying principle of the universe was or could be. So, the culture of the pre-philosophical era was largely mythological and religious, with poets like Homer and Hesiod dominating the cultural scene with psychological traditions of why and how the gods control universal occurrences. Even after then, when the philosophical tradition was pioneered by Thales, the Greek culture of speculating what the unifying universal principle was, remained primary.
iii. Area of Perspective
By this we simply refer to the five branches of philosophy, which are; “metaphysics”, “epistemology”, “ethics”, “logic” and “the infrastructure of disciplines”. Hence, the way a “metaphysician” would view reality would surely clash with that of an “epistemologist”. Also, the views of a “moral philosopher” would tend to negate that of a “philosopher of science”; and so on and so forth.
iv. School of thought
This is somewhat similar to the element of "area of perspective". This is due to the fact that, one’s philosophical school of thought is directly influenced by a relevant branch of philosophy. Thus, the conceptions of an idealist, for example, would definitely negate that of a materialist, or an empiricist, or a utilitarian, or even worse a sceptic; and so on and so forth.
v. Ambition of the philosopher
Every philosopher has an agenda; a goal which he intends to execute in the philosophical battlefield. These agenda varies among philosophers, and depends upon what is to be achieved. For example; “René Descartes”, due to the fact that he was unhappy and fed up with this controversial and partisan nature of philosophy; came up with an agenda. And this was to destroy the basic foundations of philosophy, doubt all its postulated theories, then rebuild philosophy on a more certain and objective foundation that would be immune to controversy. Whether he achieved this ambition is not so necessary; but what matters is that it definitely influenced his ideology and conception of philosophy.
THE SCOPE OF PHILOSOPHY
The term “scope” simply refers to all those things that fall within the umbrella of a concept. Hence, the scope of philosophy entails those elements in reality that is encapsulated in the day to day activities of the philosophical enterprise. Simply put, the scope of philosophy discusses what philosophy talks about and what philosophy does not talk about; and this is highlighted below;
· What philosophy talks about
Philosophy talks about universals and general realities. It sees things from the widest perspective. It perceives things as a whole. It considers the entirety of being as a vast interconnected system. This is why philosophy is regarded as a universal discipline. For example; if philosophy were to talk about man, it would do so in connection with those elements that are globally and objectively present in all men.
· What philosophy does not talk about
In contrast to the above, philosophy, due to its nature does not talk about particulars or individual entities. It is not concerned with specifics. It would never consider reality in isolation from the whole. For example; considering the problem of democracy, philosophy is not concerned with the democracy of a particular country alone (like Nigeria) but the concept of democracy on a global scale.
(YOUR PERSONAL ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND CONCLUSION)
