BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY

Ontology (Metaphysics)Epistemology

AxiologyLogic

Metaphysics/Ontology

The study of existence.Foundation of philosophy.Importance: Explain the world around us and help us deal with reality.

Metaphysics (ontology)The dictionary definition of metaphysics is “… distant

from the physical world and trespassing beyond the material things in life”.

Metaphysics is speculative and focuses on the cause –and-effect relationship of things and phenomena.

Metaphysics posses the following questions:- What is truth?- Does God exist?- What is mankind?- What is life?

Epistemology.

The study of our method of acquiring knowledge.Answers the question, “How do we know?”Importance : Gives explanation of how we think.It is concerned with how our minds are related to reality, and whether these relationships are valid or invalid.

Epistemology It is also known as the theory of knowledge that studies about knowledge and beliefs. It comes from the Greek word episteme which means “knowledge” or “science”, and logos which means “explanation”. Thus, it focuses on the analysis and generation of knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge.

Sources of the knowledge:Revelation.Based on our sensory experiencesIntuitionExpert opinion based on the knowledge and skills possessedLogicScientific methods

Axiology

Axiology stems from the Greek word which means “value”. Therefore, it is the branch of philosophy that question good or bad, true or false, beautiful or ugly. It can be classified into two aspect, that is ethics and aesthetics:

1)Ethics.Emphasizes “what we should do” and “what is the best thing to do”. In short, ethics focuses on the moral and behaviour of mankind.

It can be categorized into three basic types as follows:Meta ethics – study about the concept of ethics;Normative ethics – study about how to determine ethical values;Applied ethics – study about the application of ethical values.

 In relationship to this, ethics attempts to answer the following questions:

- What is goodness? What are some behavioural characteristics that determine the goodness?

- What determines a good action?- Is morality objective or subjective?

1. Ethics.Dealing with what is proper course of action for man.Answers the question, “What do I do?”Study the right and wrong in human endeavors.Importance : requirement for human life.

2)AesthethicsRefers to the criteria for beauty in the arts, environment and life. in other words, it focuses more on taste and sentiments. Among the question it attempt to answer include:

- What is beauty?- How can we appreciate beauty in our natural

environment?

Esthetics.

The study of art. Importance: It delves into the reason why art has always existed, the burning need of mankind through the ages to see the world in a different, clear way. 

LogicLogic explains the relationship between ideas besides giving reasons for the purposed answers. There are two types of logic:Inductive logic – starts with specific details, followed by reasoning and general conclusionsDeductive logic – starts from general conclusions, then seeking relevant examples to explain these conclusions before generating logical details.