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Philosophy as a field of study and as a discipline has four core branches: metaphysics,
epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics. These branches have their own focus and concentration.
1. Metaphysics
• What is the first principle (or origin) from which all things came
to. be?
2. Epistemology
This branch of philosophy deals with the study of the nature and scope of
knewledge and justified beliefs. Derived from two Greek words episteme
(knowledge) and logos (to study), epistemology investigates the acquisition
of knowledge- encompassing the nature and construction of concepts, logical
reasoning, and even the validity of the perception of the senses. It deals with the
process by which people are led to know that something is true.
Rationalism views reason as the chief source of knowledge and the most important
element in the acquisition of knowledge. A popular proponent of this view was Rene
Descartes who was well-known for the quote, "Cogito, ergo sum - I think, therefore
I am. He contended that a person was born with innate a priori or theoretical
knowledge and could deduce truths throuqh mental reasoning. Descartes further
stated that only reason alone could validate knowledge, and this could be done
independent of the senses. He strongly argued that experience could be the cause of
illusions, and was therefore doubtful. According to him, the human mind could
operate alone, and could come to terms about the physical world.
Empiricism, on the other hand, asserts that all of a person's knowledge comes from
his/her five senses. The chief proponent of this view was John Locke who conceived the
concept of mind being a tabula rasa (empty tablet/blank sheet) upon which one could
write and store his/her ideas based on experiences and learn out of those experiences.
He argued that it was only through experience that one could derive knowledge.
a. sensation (a kind of experience where the human mind grasps the world outside
through the five senses); and
• What is knowledge?
• Does the world exist independently from the way people see it?
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Below are the defining questions of epistemology. Answer them from two points
of view: as a rationalist and as an empiricist.
RATIONALIST EMPIRICIST
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• What are the limits of human knowledge?
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RATJONALIST
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3. Ethics
Also called moral philosophy, Ethics came from the Greek word ethos
which means "custom" or "habit." As a branch of philosophy, it is a discipline
which aims to synthesize the concepts of right and wrong behavior.
Metaethics deals with the origin and meaning of ethical concepts. It responds to
questions focusing on the meaning of ethical terms such as "good" and "bad," issues on
the universally accepted truths, and even people's justifications of their own
judgments.
Normative ethics is that part of moral philosophy concerned with the setting of
certain standards of what is morally right and morally wrong. It involves the formulation
of set values or moral norms which have an impact as to what should be the people's
actions and ways of life.
This is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature and appreciation
of art, beauty, and good taste. Derived from the Greek word aisthetikos which
means "of sense perception," aesthetics, (sometimes also spelled as esthetics),
encompasses all the responses people may solicit from all forms of art, be it
negative or positive.
Judgment of art's aesthetic value can also be tied up with one's political,
economic, or moral values. For example, people may consider signature clothes or
a highly expensive bag as beautiful simply because these are considered status
symbols; or they may consider them as impractical for they do not fit their economic
status or their moral values.