Philosophy

Branches of Philosophy

The branches of philosophy are numerous, taking into account the long history of the discipline and the cultural differences. Although for analytical purposes it is usually divided into two large groups in terms of region ( Western philosophy and Eastern philosophy ), within these groups numerous subdivisions can be recognized, such as European philosophy , Latin American philosophy, Chinese philosophy, Islamic philosophy or Indian philosophy. At this point it cannot be overemphasized that the great philosophers are not only Western. The contributions of personalities such as Confucius and Lao Tzu , to mention two Chinese thinkers, are key in the history of the human being.

There are branches of philosophy that currently, due to their scope, exceed the discipline. Ethics , logic , aesthetics , skepticism , pragmatism , cynicism and realism , among others, appear in different ways in multiple areas and even in daily life. Metaphysics , ontology , cosmology and epistemology also transcend the strictly philosophical to integrate into sciences, practices and procedures of all kinds.

In some cases, the theories of some thinkers developed so widely that they became branches in themselves. Marxism , Hegelianism and Kantianism are an example of this reality.

Other currents of philosophy are closely linked to their object of study or their field of application. That is why we can speak of philosophy of law , political philosophy , philosophy of the mind, religion , history or language , among many others.

Characteristics of philosophy

• Criticism : Philosophy constantly questions assumptions and accepted truths.
• Reflective : Reflects on fundamental questions about being, knowledge, morality, and aesthetics.
• Rational : It is based on logical and argumentative reasoning .
• Systematic : Seeks to build coherent systems of thought.
• Universal : Addresses issues that are of general interest and not of particular or regional interest.
• Abstract : Deals with concepts that are often neither observable nor empirically verifiable.
• Interdisciplinary : Interacts with diverse areas of knowledge such as science, art, and politics.
• Dialectic : Uses discussion and dialogue as methods to explore ideas.
• Analytics : Breaks down complex philosophical questions into smaller components for study.
• Perennial : Some of its issues and problems have endured throughout history.
• Problematic : Identify and formulate specific philosophical problems.
• Prescriptive : Often seeks not only to understand the world, but to suggest how it should be.

Gallery of famous philosophers

History of Philosophy

Stages of development of philosophy

In the historical development of philosophy, five major stages can be recognized: ancient philosophy , medieval philosophy, Renaissance philosophy, modern philosophy and contemporary philosophy. In each of these phases, the discipline showed different characteristics based on a diversity of schools and currents.

It should be noted, however, that philosophy did not advance along the same paths in all societies. For this reason, a distinction is often made between Western and Eastern philosophy, which encompass the contributions of peoples from every part of the world.

Ancient Philosophy

Ancient philosophy is that which took place between 3,000 BC and 500 AD. It covers the philosophical production of Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire , which is why its importance in Western history is enormous.

This period begins with the work of the philosophers who preceded Socrates , referred to as pre-Socratics . It continues with the classical instance that had its beginning with Socrates and that includes his student Plato and Aristotle ( Plato 's disciple), and then continues with the contributions of the Hellenistic philosophers and with the so-called late antiquity , where the skeptics , the Stoics and the Epicureans stood out.

Medieval Philosophy

Medieval philosophy was launched when the Roman Empire fell and continued until the Renaissance . Broadly speaking, it can be said that it aimed to build bridges between philosophy and religion, reflecting on faith and divinity, for example.

Thomas Aquinas,William of Ockham,Averroes,Avicenna yMaimonides son exponentes de la filosofía medieval, cada uno con un trabajo relevante llevado a cabo en su región.

Renaissance Philosophy

The next stage in the history of Western philosophy was the Renaissance , whose roots lie in the 15th century . Based in Italy, Renaissance philosophy had a heyday lasting approximately one century.

During these years there was a significant advance in political philosophy , the philosophy of nature and humanism , fields of greater predominance at this time. Niccolò Machiavelli , Saint Thomas More , Erasmus of Rotterdam , Giordano Bruno , Nicolaus Copernicus , Galileo Galilei and Leonardo da Vinci are among the main thinkers of this phase.

Modern Philosophy

From the 17th to the 20th century, modern philosophy developed. It is important to consider that the limits of each stage are not exact, which leads to some philosophers and even currents being classified in one period or another.

Metaphysics , epistemology , rationalism , empiricism and ethics are widely spread branches of modern philosophy. Thinkers such as Baruch Spinoza , René Descartes , Thomas Hobbes , John Locke , David Hume , Jean-Jacques Rousseau , Immanuel Kant , Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel , Auguste Comte , Friedrich Engels , Karl Marx , Friedrich Nietzsche and John Stuart Mill are noted among the most prominent of this phase.

Contemporary Philosophy

After the end of the modern philosophy stage, contemporary philosophy began, which continues to this day. Currents such as existentialism , logical positivism , philosophical materialism , post-structuralism and phenomenology gained relevance in the period.

Figures such as Karl Popper , Martin Heidegger , Bertrand Russell , Claude Lévi-Strauss , Simone de Beauvoir , Jean-Paul Sartre , Michel Foucault , Jacques Derrida , Hannah Arendt , Noam Chomsky and Gilles Deleuze stand out for their contributions to various areas of contemporary philosophy.

The importance of Ancient Greece

In order for all the historical stages of philosophy to develop, there had to be a beginning. And it was in Ancient Greece that philosophy first emerged. It appeared at the beginning of the 6th century BC in the region of Ionia , which is located in Asia . A time and place that undoubtedly marked this branch of knowledge, since some fundamental events in it took place there.

Among these highlights that must be highlighted, we find the establishment of four periods such as pre-Socratic philosophy , sophism , Attic philosophy and post-Aristotelian philosophy.

These are all stages in which great thinkers who are still being studied today and who have become basic pillars of the history of philosophy will take centre stage. This would be, for example, the case of the aforementioned Plato , who was a follower of Socrates and stood out for producing numerous works in which he placed special emphasis on the theory of ideas and forms.

His theory postulated that each idea is immutable and unique and that the beings of the sensible world are characterized by being imperfect and deficient. All of these questions acquired great value within philosophy, as did his well-known myth of the cave, where he analyzes in depth the difference between reality and knowledge. Plato 's followers, meanwhile, promoted the doctrine known as Platonism .

In addition to this thinker, Aristotle , who was a disciple of Plato , is also fundamental within this branch of logic. A figure who is considered, among other things, as the father of logic and whose followers promoted the movement called Aristotelianism .