Philosophy proves a fascinating aspect of the existence of humans and thus forms an important discipline in the sphere of education. While it cannot get regarded as a necessity in education circles, it is esoteric and a subject only comprehended by a specialist. It mainly arises because philosophy comes in no abstract form compared to mathematics and science subjects. For instance, when you ask for philosophy homework help, you will probably get different definitions from philosophers instead of the definition of science from scientists.
Philosophy points to no specific study area, and many philosophers such as Aristotle regarded philosophy as a scientific field. Conversely, philosophers such as Ludwig and Socrates believed philosophy as an activity and nothing as a study subject. Therefore, philosophy elicits plenty of debate starting from its definition. No wonder the subject gets ignored in the educational setup in the US until college to limit confusion among students
So how can you define philosophy?
Philosophy
It becomes crucial to view and derive the definition from the etymological angle to understand the concept better. Sophia, a Greek word, has diverse meanings, though wisdom always suffices. However, philosophy is not the study of wisdom, as wisdom gets entangled with God based on a contentious Russian orthodox. Philosophy contains the prefix “Philo,” which gets translated as “love” in English. Therefore, it becomes apparent that philosophy implies the love of wisdom.
However, you cannot refer to anyone who loves wisdom as a philosopher—getting confused? Please do not. While philosophy proves an academic field such as epidemiology or biology, the word comes implicitly. Therefore, what academic aspect exists about the love for wisdom, now that it constitutes a constant in almost any university across the world?
You can only comprehend this when you contextualize the definition of love, something that proves arduous. However, in contextualizing why we have a love for philosophy as any other aspect, it becomes simpler to understand its significance as a department and course in universities the world over.
Why Philosophers Have to Care
Expression of love towards individuals can vary greatly as the way you love your wife will not become similar to that which relates to your father or mother. However, people tend to express their love for abstract or physical things, whether an object or subject, physically. For instance, you will love your dog by expressing acts such as ensuring it has sufficient water and food, while something like an art piece will receive acts such as keeping it clean and protected at all times. So how do you express your love for an aspect that is absent in the physical world?
To care for the non-physical requires a demonstration of love through non-physical acts. Here, you can decide, for instance, to keep memories of its existence or theories alive. Other people can decide to bring in fresh wisdom. While the reasons may differ, philosophers have diverse tools to offer their love for wisdom.
Conclusion
Philosophy proves a broad subject, and the ambiguity involves different people having diverse perspectives with a constant for the love of wisdom. Therefore, comprehend what philosophy entails and why you should care before you delve deeper into the subject.
