Core areas of philosophy and their historical significance

Philosophical Summation

Introduction to Philosophy

Introduction to psychology introduced us to what philosophy is, it\'s major topics, problems it attempts to solve, its methods, and looks into the writings of a number of great philosophers whose work remains instrumental to the discipline. Different thinkers define philosophy differently. However, the most common definition of modern day philosophy is that it is a study or discipline that looks into human thought. It entails a review of ideas, hypothesis and thoughts of thinkers from various times through history as they tried to explain different phenomena. The simplest definition of philosophy is that it is an investigation of the big questions in life. Introduction to Philosophy investigates these big questions in various core areas of philosophy such as the philosophy of religion, ethics, political philosophy, epistemology and metaphysics. We will get to reflect on great thoughts and ideas put forth by great thinkers from within and without the Western world including Bertrand Russell, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, John Stuart, Thomas Hobbes, Immanuel Kant, John Locke, Blaise Pascal, Rene Descartes, Saint Anselm, Aristotle, Plato, Confucius, Buddha and Lao Tzu. The main objective of introduction to psychology is to familiarize students with philosophers and the problems they tried to solve. The course also aims to develop learners\' critical thinking skills and to help them express their ideas coherently and persuasively in writing (Saylor Academy, 2015).

Lessons Learnt in Introduction to Philosophy

Studying philosophy is a challenging undertaking (Pecorino, 2000). This is because philosophy involves a lot of critical thinking. Philosophy has altered the course of human history in both obvious and subtle ways. In almost every major human civilization you will find a philosopher or two who contributed new ideas or further developed those postulated by others before them. Philosophy is food for thought. It aims to answer questions and to stimulate the mind into thinking about some fundamental questions and issues faced by human beings. It is sad to note that the majority of people don\'t think a lot of the subject and assume it has nothing to offer them. However, philosophy has always occupied an important place in history especially at times when fundamental questions about life have occupied societal or national discourses. Even in modern day times, philosophy still provides or forms the basis of many discussions and helps people to have a deeper insight into problems and how they can think to solve them.

Some of the core sub-disciplines of the subject include Moral Philosophy, Metaphysics, and Epistemology. Moral philosophy is an attempt to understand what goes through the human mind when making moral choices or judgments. Are such judgments truly influenced by objective moral truth or are they mere cultural or personal preferences. Metaphysics is the study of some of the fundamental conceptual questions about reality. It reviews what great thinkers said about reality and poses some important questions to the learner in a bid to help him or her think more about the claims about things and reality. As a learner, one will most likely love studying epistemology. This is because it looks into the question of how we know what we claim to know. It investigates the human knowledge of the world and how we have that knowledge (Pecorino, 2000).

Experience

Philosophy has excited my mind in ways nothing else has so far. It has enabled me to reflect on what I believe in terms of perspectives, pre-suppositions, and assumptions I hold and that I use to think. After having lived for more than 18 years or less, one acquires some ideas and beliefs which they use in their thinking. However, carefully examining these beliefs, claims, assumptions or ideas that one uses in his or her thinking, he or she will find that some, if not majority, are not completely true. Through philosophy, I now understand that some of my beliefs were wrong, others were not contradictory, and others need to be investigated further to prove if they are true or not. This has obviously caused significant disruption in my life as some of the beliefs I held as true provided me with a feeling of certainty and comfort in my life.

An example of how the study of philosophy has changed my life so far is that with the little knowledge I have gained in epistemology, I now think more logically or rationally. This is because epistemology has given me a different perspective on how to look at things. Before speaking or arguing with others over what I believe, I now realize that I have to examine the source of my beliefs, the extent of my knowledge in that matter, the reliability of that belief, and whether that belief can withstand logical scrutiny. According to Socrates, we as humans need to think outside the box. We need to be critical in our outlook and to think beyond the normal phrases and concepts. This way, we will be able to find out the truth faster or know more about our beliefs and whether or not to investigate them further to find out whether they are true or not (The Focusing Institute, 2012).

Metaphysics investigates reality. As we go through our lives, one of the things at the top of almost everyone\'s mind is whether or not what they believe is real. As a student of philosophy my concerns go even further back. With my little knowledge about metaphysics, I now know that even the existence of reality itself is questionable. Still, there are some things which are definitely real and there is a process we can use to be sure about that. The process involves using our senses and measuring devices. However, another important thing I have learned so far is to question whether everything real is detectable. According to Plato, when we think outside the box, our definitions, beliefs and concepts keep changing but this doesn\'t necessarily mean that what we believe is not true. More thinking or investigation could point us in the same direction or a different and even better one (Pecorino, 2000).