Philosophy comes from the Greek word ‘philosophia’ which means ‘love of wisdom. Philosophy aims to throw light upon questions about knowledge, reason, values, mind, existence, and language; that many people deem as problems in their lives, and seek precise answers through the usage of various philosophical methods like rational argument, critical discussion, questioning.
In historical context, a philosophy once was a field that encompassed all bodies of knowledge and a practitioner of philosophy was regarded as a philosopher. Later, as the years progressed, in the 19th century, the various areas of study like psychology, linguistics, sociology that were initially regarded under philosophy, have now become separate disciplines of study.
The four main branches of philosophy include- Metaphysics, which talks about the concept of reality, how did the world come to exist, and many more such questions. It’s a branch that deals with the concern towards the fundamental nature of existence and reality.
The next one includes Epistemology; it talks about how people firstly acquired knowledge regarding various things. It’s a branch that deals with knowledge and the foundation of truth, as the Greek word ‘episteme’ signifies the importance of understanding and knowledge.
The third one constitutes ‘axiology’- it’s a branch that caters to the study of values and principles. It’s mainly divided into two main kinds, viz, ethics and aesthetics.
And, the last major branch constitutes ‘Logic’- it’s a branch of philosophy that tends to develop an attitude towards forming rational opinions and beholding logic.
WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS ADVANTAGES OF STUDYING PHILOSOPHY?
DEVELOPING THE ABILITY TO THINK CRITICALLY
One of the most important aspects that philosophy learners gather over time is the ability to inspect situations with a critical eye. Critical thinking is of immense importance in philosophy and this skill is imbibed in the students, as a process, throughout their journey of understanding this discipline. Critical thinkers have the ability to put forth questions without hesitancy and look for solutions through multiple perspectives; even when they are seeking answers for a question that many people have taken for granted. Critical thinking helps to avoid being manipulated and to strive for the very truth.
DEVELOPING THE ABILITY TO THINK LOGICALLY AND PUTTING TO ASSESSMENT THE SET ANSWERS
In this field of study, students develop the ability to pay attention to details and form logical opinions. Students who undertake philosophy as a subject aspire to analyze their situations and never take any possible solution for granted.
DEVELOPING THE SKILL OF ASKING QUESTIONS
One of the very important abilities that would be nurtured throughout the proceedings of this course is to learn about asking questions. Philosophy encourages asking all sorts of questions. It often is later realized that asking questions weigh more important than seeking answers because, there can never be one significant answer for time immemorial, and asking the right questions puts to assessment and scrutiny all the ideologies that we’ve taken for granted.
Philosophy encourages students to ask questions, from its apparent complexity to simplicity, like ‘what is the nature of our existence and reality to ‘is there a god’ or ‘what makes us human’. Asking such questions, that majority of people have taken for granted, not only helps the students of philosophy to free them off prejudiced notions, thus also promoting a sense of self-government. It helps to broaden the horizons of thinking and influences in considering various perspectives.
ENHANCED WRITING AND READING SKILLS
In this discipline, a student is expected to go through a good number of books and involves a lot of reading. As best stated in the blog of James Madison University “Philosophy teaches interpretive writing through its examination of challenging texts, comparative writing through an emphasis on fairness to alternative positions, argumentative writing through developing students’ ability to establish their own views, and descriptive writing through the detailed portrayal of concrete examples. Concrete examples serve as the anchors to which generalizations must be tied.” Ultimately, the skill of adopting critical thinking and significant analysis of texts reflects in the writing style too.
VAST EMPLOYMENT OPTIONS
A lot of employment opportunities lay open for students who’ve graduated from philosophy. As they’re expected to have developed excellent critical thinking and logical skills, they are highly sought-after by organizations that require expertise in assessing information from various angles. Philosophy graduates are also expected to have developed excellent writing and persuasive communicational abilities, which can help them land a job at a writing firm, in journalism, or as a speaker with ease. They can also approach various job opportunities like teaching, PR, politics, communications, publishing, HR, advertising, science, business, law, and civil services. Whereas, there is also a various option available for students who want to contribute to research, take up further studies, or take up lecturing in this discipline or similar ones.
CONCLUSION: –
There’s no requirement for a student to take up philosophy as a course subject, which makes it even easier for many students to explore this field and grow through it.
