What is Philosophy?
Philosophy is a Greek word that simply means the love of wisdom. Philosophical theories, beliefs or principles are collectively referred to as philosophy. Philosophy can also be the activity of thinking. This is the fundamental definition of philosophy.
Philosophy can be used to justify what one is actually thinking. For successful interactions with others, one needs to clearly outline what he is thinking. This can be termed as one making an argument. It also involves challenging other people’s views and ideas that seems vague until a common understanding is reached.
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Philosophy can be classified under four broad areas namely: epistemology, logic, metaphysics and axiology. Epistemology is commonly referred to as the theory of knowledge. Issues such as an in-depth meaning of knowledge, the types of knowledge, the differentiation between perception and the actual world and the standards of truth and falsehood are all part of epistemology. Logic is an attempt to differentiate between correct and incorrect reasoning. It is divided into inductive and deductive reasoning. Metaphysics is a branch that deals with the nature of existence. The nature and relationship between mental and physical state of a person are explained in this branch. Axiology is the study of value and worth.
Philosophy may be very crucial in both intellectual and practical problem solving. Intellectual problem solving involves what an individual thinks about a situation while practical problem solving entails what he would actually do about it.
Origins of applied philosophy
Topics and issues discussed by early scholars like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Locke and Descartes among many others are regarded as philosophy. Philosophy can be divided into theoretical and practical. The practical part is what is referred to as applied philosophy. Aristotle was more concerned with the applied philosophy which involved politics and ethics. Some philosophers think that applied philosophy is quite a new phenomenon and that it is still in the process of evolution. This originates from the 1960s after some historical events in American Philosophy.
After a series of philosophical trends in America and Europe logic, has become quite instrumental in our day to day speeches and editorials without forgetting our day to day arguments. Applied ethics have gradually taken root in almost all professions ranging from medicine, engineering, business, and law just to mention but a few. Development of artificial intelligence by computer scientists is also dependent on logic and epistemology.
In addition to applied philosophy borrowing from pure philosophy, it helps in contributing towards its development. In the process that people are applying pure philosophy, they are also evaluating its validity and comprehensiveness. Philosophers also discovered that use of applied philosophy heavily relied on individual knowledge about the specific field in which it was applied. One for instance had to have an extensive medical knowledge to be able to apply medical ethics.
Applied philosophy in conclusion is still philosophy. A great deal of theory and reasoning is still important. Philosophers will still look for clarity in their arguments even though it is very practical. This field therefore has become quite popular in our academic sector through journals, textbooks among other channels. Most applied philosophers however prefer to call themselves philosophers. However applied philosophy is still philosophy so it makes no difference.
