05 April 2018

Notes - philosophy types / philosophizing



       Afternoon. Susie G. is taking photos of the interior and exterior of your house. You had a leisurely lunch at Penn Station and are now sitting at Pine Hill Lakes facing east. Carol is on Chapter 106, p. 299 of Patterson's The Postcard Killers. You are reading over "The Different Branches of Philosophy", thirteen different fields according to Austin Cline. This was updated February 19, 2018. Austin Cline is a writer, designer, photographer, skeptic and humanist. - Amorella


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Humanities  Religion & Spirituality

The Different Branches of Philosophy

There are thirteen different fields of philosophical inquiry


 Austin Cline

Updated February 19, 2018

Instead of being treated as a single, unified subject, philosophy is typically broken down into a number of specialties and it is common for contemporary philosophers to be experts in one field but know little about another. After all, philosophy addresses complex issues from all facets of life -- being an expert on all of philosophy would entail being an expert on all of the most fundamental questions which life has to offer.

This doesn't mean that each branch of philosophy is entirely autonomous -- there is often much overlap between some fields, in fact. For example, political and legal philosophy often cross with ethics and morality, while metaphysical questions are common topics in the philosophy of religion. Sometimes even deciding which branch of philosophy a question properly belongs to isn't very clear.

Aesthetics

This is the study of beauty and taste, whether in the form of the comic, the tragic, or the sublime. The word comes from the Greek aisthetikos, "of sense perception." Aesthetics has traditionally been part of other philosophical fields like epistemology or ethics but it started to come into its own and become a more independent field under Immanuel Kant.

Epistemology

Epistemology is the study of the grounds and nature of knowledge itself. Epistemological studies usually focus on our means for acquiring knowledge; thus modern epistemology generally involves a debate between rationalism and empiricism, or the question of whether knowledge can be acquired a priori or a posteriori.

Ethics

Ethics is the formal study of moral standards and conduct and is also often called "moral philosophy." What is good? What is evil? How should I behave -- and why? How should I balance my needs against the needs of others? These are some of the questions asked in the field of ethics.

Logic and the Philosophy of Language

These two fields are often treated separately, but they are close enough that they are presented together here.


Logic is the study of methods of reasoning and argumentation, both proper and improper. The philosophy of Language involves the study of how our language interacts with our thinking.

Metaphysics

In Western philosophy, this field has become the study of the fundamental nature of all reality - what is it, why is it, and how are we to understand it. Some only regard metaphysics as the study of "higher" reality or the "invisible" nature behind everything, but that isn't actually true. It is, instead, the study of all of reality, visible and invisible.

Philosophy of Education

This field deals with how children should be educated, what they should be educated in, and what the ultimate purpose of education should be for society. This is an often neglected field of philosophy and is often addressed only be in educational programs designed to train teachers -- in that context, it is a part of pedagogy, which is learning how to teach.

Philosophy of History

The Philosophy of History is a relatively minor branch in the field of philosophy, focusing on the study of history, writing about history, how history progresses, and what impact history has upon the present day. This is can be referred to as the Critical, Analytical, or Formal Philosophy of History, as well as the Philosophy of Historiography.

Philosophy of Mind

The relatively recent specialty known as Philosophy of Mind deals with the consciousness and how it interacts with the body and the outside world. It asks not only what mental phenomena are and what gives rise to them, but also what relationship they have to the larger physical body and the world around us.

Philosophy of Religion

Sometimes confused with theology, the Philosophy of Religion is the philosophical study of religious beliefs, religious doctrines, religious arguments and religious history. The line between theology and the philosophy of religion isn't always sharp because they share so much in common, but the primary difference is that theology tends to be apologetical in nature, committed to the defense of particular religious positions, whereas Philosophy of Religion is committed to the investigation of religion itself rather than the truth of any particular religion.

Philosophy of Science

This is concerned with how science operates, what the goals of science should be, what relationship science should have with society, the differences between science and other activities, etc. Everything that happens in science has some relationship with the Philosophy of Science and is predicated upon some philosophical position, even though that may be rarely evident.

Political and Legal Philosophy

These two fields are often studied separately, but they are presented here jointly because they both come back to the same thing: the study of force. Politics is the study of political force in the general community while jurisprudence is the study of how laws can and should be used to achieve political and social goals.


Selected and edited from - www.thoughtco.com/austin-cline

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       1428 hours. I like that Austin Cline is a skeptic and is interested in the Humanities, Religion and Spirituality. He appears  a sincere agnostic at first glance.

       You assume he displays some personal interest and objectivity in his work. Carol dropped off in a quick nap. Susie texted that she is done with her photography and that the house looks great. Later dude, Amorella
      
       You are waiting for Carol at Kroger's on Mason-Montgomery Road after a stop at Graeter's. You ran out of milk, a rarity. - Amorella

       1521 hours. It was one percent, usually Carol's gets two percent when the boys are coming to town. We have skim. The others taste too creamy, too rich for our morning milk tastes. I mentioned philosophy and Carol doesn't know what her father's PhD at Ohio State focused on. Dad never talked about it. One of my former students, Leanne M. is getting her PhD is business. I didn't know there was such a degree. More power to her. Her dad had his in chemistry I believe; they were our neighbors for years. I have always been envious of those that have one, but I don't really know why. I might have got one at Bowling Green where I picked up my Masters but the job offer to teach at Escola Graduada de Sao Paulo was not something to lightly turn down. I picture myself as a pseudo-scholar at best. The reason I am interested in the list of branches of philosophy is to see which ones I am really interested in -- just curious.

       I can tell the top three and in which order boy, to save you the trouble. - Amorella

       1533 hours. I should be more skeptical of you, my friend, but I am not. You have been kind to me over the decades. I probably trust you more than I do myself.

       You do not. - Amorella

       1536 hours. How can I be sure?

       It's plain to see if you read the blog from beginning to present. You do trust yourself more than you did thirty or forty years ago. Then you trusted me more because you didn't feel you had any choice. Here's Carol. - Amorella

       1738 hours. I am ready for a nap.

       Post. - Amorella


       Evening. Recopy the types of philosophy above and let's go through them picking out your interests from each and barebone each in that manner and see what happens. - Amorella

       2208 hours. Sounds good. I am curious. The better, the more specific you know who you are at any given time is certainly a learning situation. I'm all for it.

       These are the five pieces of philosophy that most passionately move your heartansoulanmind at any given time. - Amorella

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1. Epistemology or ethics as it fits within the philosophy of Immanuel Kant.

2. Morals. How should I behave -- and why? How should I balance my needs against the needs of others?

3. Methods of reasoning and argumentation, both proper and improper.

4. Metaphysics. The study of the fundamental nature of all reality - what is it, why is it, and how are we to understand it.


5. Consciousness. What are mental phenomena and what gives them rise   and what relationship do they have to the larger physical body and the world around us.

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         2253 hours. The above are the most important aspects of philosophy in my heartansoulanmind.

         Now, which of the five is most important to your heart, to your soul and to your mind? - Amorella

         2256 hours. I did not expect this question.

        A. To the Heart - 2. Morals (2302)

         B. To the Soul -  5. Consciousness (2301)

         C. To the Mind - 3. Logic (2300)

       2303 hours. This is my conclusion: number one, ethics fits within the framework of number two, morals and number four, metaphysics fits within the framework of number five, consciousness. Therefore, I have three basic aspects of philosophy that are most important to me. (2307)

       So, what did you learn from this little exercise, boy? - Amorella

       2310 hours. I learned that unknown to my consciousness my heartansoulanmind had already worked out what aspect of philosophy was more important to each, and together had satisfactorily had come to a compromise  that each piece of metaphysics could agree with. (2313)

       Would you say the art of compromise is inertly understood? - Amorella

       2315 hours. If it is so, then this is true of all human beings, the ability to compromise is within heartansoulanmind, within the individual human spirit, an innocent place within all of us. (2319)

       Do you accept this concept wholeheartedly? - Amorella

       2319 hours. No, I do not. I do not feel human beings are capable of innocence.

       Now you have a lesson on which to philosophize. Post. - Amorella

       2334 hours. Yes, I do. Wholehearted I do not feel human beings are capable of innocence. My mind has trouble reasoning this is even possible. My soul though suggests it has a plausibility. Perhaps because we have a soul it is possible, or at least possible to hope it is plausible. (2339)

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