Hi friends! Have you read articles about the definition of philosophy? I’ve discussed philosophy as a thinking process and the results of thinking there. As for this article, I am writing about the major branches of philosophy: metaphysics, epistemology, axiology and logics[1][2]3]. Happy reading and exploring the adventure in your mind!
BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY: METAPHYSICS
Metaphysics is derived from the Greek μετά (metá, “after”) and φυσικά (physiká, “physics”), which can be interpreted as a study beyond physical things. It is a major branch of philosophy that studies the nature of reality in understanding the fundamental nature of the world, the universe, and being[1][3]. Metaphysics is divided into four focuses: ontology, cosmology, theology and anthropology. While the first focus includes general metaphysics, the rest are particular.
- Ontology focuses on the reality of being, namely the “existence” of something. For example, “Is something that ‘exists’ essentially material or nonmaterial?” and “Is the reality of being something static or dynamic?”
- Cosmology studies questions such as, “How was the universe created?”, “What are the characteristics of space?” “What elements make up the universe?” and other questions related to the universe. The Big Bang theory is one of many theories that arose from cosmology.
- Theology has the scope of studying the nature of God’s existence. God from various religions becomes the study of theology, including majesty, power, characteristics, beauty, and other attributes. Theology is not limited to studying God in a particular religion. But also non-religious, such as gods, in the study of mythology.
- Anthropology studies the nature of humans. It studies what is essential in humans, how humans were created, and other ‘mysteries’ about humans that are often questioned.
BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY: EPISTEMOLOGY
Next about epistemology. Epistemology comes from Greek, consisting of the words epistēmē (“knowledge or understanding”) and logos (“reason or argument”). Literally translated as the argument of knowledge. Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge[3] and its scope[1][3]. The meaning of the scope of knowledge is that epistemology studies all knowledge components, including sources, methods of obtaining, and criteria for truth.
Epistemology is the study of “knowing about knowing” or the effort to know about the process of knowing. Some questions that are included in epistemology, for example, “What is meant by knowledge?”, “How do we obtain certain knowledge?” and “Is the knowledge we already have correct, or is there an error?”
BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY: AXIOLOGY
Axiology is based on the words ἀξία or axia (value) and λογία or logia (study of). It is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of values [1][3] or is sometimes referred to as value theory[1]. Axiology includes ethics and aesthetics.
Ethics is a branch of philosophy that studies and evaluates human behaviour. Ethics is a code or rule about right and wrong and the study of how humans should live together with other humans[1]. For example, “Is it better to tell the truth but hurt someone’s feelings or lie so as not to hurt them?” Ethics relate to a person’s beliefs, sometimes influenced by personality and the environment in which they live. Ethics tends to be studied extensively in character education, morals, and community rules.
In addition to ethics, there is also aesthetics. Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of beauty and art, including understanding beauty’s meaning and essence and whether beauty exists. If ethics is related to the values of living together between humans, aesthetics is related to more subjective values. For example, when looking at a painting, each person’s criteria for ‘beauty’ are different, so it may be difficult to find common ground for these beautiful values.
LOGICS
Metaphysics, Epistemology and axiology are branches of philosophy that try to know about something. Unlike these three branches, logic does not try to question but tries to provide answers[1]. Therefore, logic is likened to a toolbox for philosophers, which functions to help answer questions clearly and systematically.
Logics is closely related to reasoning, which is giving and defending arguments. This skill is not only needed by philosophers but is also one of several 21st-century skills. Reasoning is needed to prevent, minimise, or eliminate the occurrence of errors in thinking (fallacies), namely failures or errors in managing thoughts, which can cause arguments to become invalid or unsound. We always use logic when we state arguments, for example, when choosing a college major, when choosing a menu for breaking the fast, or even when considering buying items on sale at Amazon.
At least there are two principles related to the use of logic in philosophy, namely the principle of charity and critical evaluation[1]. The principle of charity is a principle that encourages us always to try to understand the strongest or most persuasive version of an argument. Meanwhile, in critical evaluation, we are encouraged to destroy initial assumptions or prejudices caused or influenced by existing knowledge. We must criticize the ideas or choices others choose or even our initial choices. This aims to enable us to determine the best choice for our own version, not just follow the worldview of the majority around us.
REFERENCES
[1] Green, H. (2016). What is Philosophy?: Crash Course Philosophy #1. YouTube CrassCourse Channel. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A_CAkYt3GY&t=136s
[2] Syaripudin, T. & Kurniasih. (2017). Landasan Filsafat Pendidikan. Landasan Pendidikan. Bandung: UPI Press.
[3] Syaripudin, T. & Kurniasih. (2015). Pengantar Filsafat Pendidikan. Bandung: Percikan Ilmu.
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