A
philosophical branch is a
broad division of the overall subject. A
philosophical doctrine is a particular theory, principle, position, system, code of beliefs or body of teachings. These are the famous
“-isms” of Philosophy.
Within each branch, there are
any number of related, similar or opposing doctrines covering different aspects of the whole, although many doctrines
overlap with, and may have repercussions in,
more than one branch of Philosophy. The
distinction between philosophical doctrines or theories, and the various
movements or schools of philosophy is sometimes blurred.
Philosophy as a whole is traditionally split into
four or more main branches. The main four are:
Metaphysics
(the study of
existence and the nature of
reality)
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Epistemology
(the study of
knowledge, and how and what we know)
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Ethics
(the study of
how people should act, and what is good and valuable)
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Aesthetics
(the study of basic philosophical questions about
art and beauty)
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In addition to these,
two more branches are often added:
Logic
(the study of
good reasoning, by valid inference and demonstration)
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Political Philosophy
(the study of
how people should
interact in a proper society)
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In addition to these, there are
other branches concerned with
philosophical questions arising from other disciplines, including:
Philosophy of Mind
(the study of the
nature of mind, consciousness, etc)
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Philosophy of Religion
(the study of the nature of
religion, God, evil, prayer, etc)
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Philosophy of Language
(the study of the nature, origins, and usage of
language)
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Philosophy of Education
(the study of the purpose, process, nature and ideals of
education)
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Philosophy of History
(the study of the eventual significance, if any, of
human history)
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Philosophy of Science
(the study of the assumptions, foundations, and implications of
science)
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Many others could be added to this list such as
Philosophy of Law,
Philosophy of Sociology,
Philosophy of Mathematics,
Philosophy of Ethnology (also known as
Ethnophilosophy),
Philosophy of Psychology, even
Philosophy of Philosophy (also known as
Meta-Philosophy).
