Have you often caught yourself pondering over profound questions like ‘What is the meaning of life?’ or ‘What hides in the vast expanse of the universe?’ Well, you are not the only one. For centuries, philosophers have delved into the depths of these philosophical questions. In this blog, we will take you through the top 10 major branches of philosophy.
Philosophy is a very extensive subject. It took ages for scholars to answer different questions about different topics. To understand each topic more precisely, scholars have developed a few major branches of Philosophy, including Axiology, Metaphysics, Aesthetics, and Epistemology. These branches help us gain in-depth knowledge about different subjects rather than getting lost in a sea of information, which makes it both manageable and accessible for learners.
What is Philosophy?
Philosophy, also called the 'love of wisdom,’ is a deep study of knowledge, existence, and the reality of life. It sparks debates and challenges us to think about profound questions about life and the universe. The word philosophy is derived from the ancient Greek word philosophia (love of wisdom), where ‘philia’ is a lover or pursuer and ‘sophia’ means wisdom.
10 Major Branches of Philosophy
Philosophy is a vast subject with various concepts. Each concept deals with a different set of ideas. If you are trying to figure out what philosophy really is, then let us take you through some of the major branches of philosophy.
1. Metaphysics
‘The study of the nature of reality’
Metaphysics, one of the major branches of philosophy, talks about the basic things of nature and reality. Abstract concepts such as being, knowing, identity, time, and space are all part of Metaphysics. In Metaphysics, you will learn about the connectivity of the human body and mind and what makes it real. For example, it lets you answer basic questions, such as. 'Why has a particular thing happened?', 'What will lead to this?' or 'Why are we present here?'
Metaphysics has two different study areas:
1. Ontology: It is the study of being. This branch of metaphysics finds answers about the correlation of two fundamental characters, such as a and b.
2. Cosmology: Understand the evolution and structure of the body and universe with Cosmology. It answers questions like, ‘How did the universe begin?’ and ‘What its future looks like?’
2. Epistemology
‘The study of knowledge’
Epistemology is one of the types of philosophy, which gives a detailed knowledge study. The knowledge here can be any topic, where you would gather articles and books, talk to experts or watch videos to know more about it. Epistemology ensures that whatever we learn is true and not just claimed. It answers questions like, ‘What is knowledge?’ and ‘What are the necessary conditions of knowledge?’ For example, if you want to learn about ancient rulers, you don't meet a real ruler. Rather, you study their history and achievements. Thus, epistemology, one of the areas of Philosophy, helps us understand how to trust what we learn from these ancient clues.
3. Ethics
‘The study of moral values’
One of the other major branches of philosophy is Ethics, which studies a set of guidelines to be a better person. Ethics is what helps us distinguish between right and wrong, including our behaviours. This branch of philosophy answers questions such as ‘Is it always wrong to lie?’ or ‘How will it make me feel about myself?’ It helps us to know if a particular thing is morally correct by answering the true aim of answering a life question, not just about people, but also towards different beings of society.
4. Political Philosophy
‘The study of politics’
Political Philosophy is also one of the different branches of philosophy. By simple definition, the word 'politics' refers to the ideas and work related to society and the country. It tells us about the human rights and decisions of the leaders imposed on common men. One of the major branches of philosophy, Political Philosophy, talks about the in-depth study of how the government works and how societies are organised for smooth functioning. It is like a guideline to explore ideas about justice, equality, freedom, and rights.
5. Axiology
‘The study of values’
Axiology, one of the areas of philosophy, combines the Greek words 'Axios,' which means values, and 'logos,' which means studying something. Thus, axiology is the comprehensive study of values about a particular topic. It answers questions like ‘What principles should one live by?’’ What are desirable values?’ and ‘What is immoral and moral?’ Axiology will help you determine what things are good and how to find value in life.
6. Aesthetics
‘The study of beauty and art’
Do you enjoy browsing through beautiful home decor or cosy cafe images on Pinterest or Instagram? What makes those pictures so good is the aesthetics of it. As we all know, aesthetics is the collection of beautiful things that people consider eye-pleasing. It could be art, songs, music, pictures, and paintings. One of the different kinds of philosophy, Aesthetics, talks about the beauty of art to figure out the question, "Why is it beautiful?" For example, think about the famous Mona Lisa painting. Aesthetics would answer the questions, 'Why is it a masterpiece?' and 'How did the artist create that beauty?' This branch of philosophy lets people learn more about their interests and what everyone finds appealing. It gets into a deeper section of the real definition of art and what makes the artist special in creating such beauty.
7. Logic
‘The study of reasoning’
Logic, as we all know, is the argument and reasoning to know if the given statement is correct or not. It's all about understanding how things work by determining their usefulness. Logic, one of the different types of philosophy, lets us perceptualise a scenario to check its validity, working with ethics.
Logic is divided into two broad categories:
1. Deductive: Deductive logic helps to deal with different types of valid reasoning. It enables us to determine whether our answers are true based on the information we collected.
2. Inductive: As the name suggests, inductive logic resolves a specific problem, which may or may not be true.
8. Cosmology
‘The study of the origin and nature of the universe’
Does the universe fascinate you? Then, Cosmology, one of the types of philosophy, is what you can study. A branch of metaphysics, Cosmology studies the history and nature of the universe. The study of the universe came into being when ancient humans asked questions such as ‘How did we come into existence?’ and ‘What is happening in the night sky?’
9. Theology
‘The study of the nature of the divine’
Who or what is God? What is our relationship with God? Theology, one of the major branches of philosophy, seeks to answer these questions.
There are four types of theology:
1. Biblical theology: It discusses the teachings of individual authors and the Bible
2. Historical theology: It studies the history and development of Christian doctrine
3. Systematic theology: It tries to put Christian doctrine in a logical order
4. Practical theology: It examines and reflects on religious practices.
10. Ontology
‘The study of the nature of being’
Another one of the major branches of philosophy is Ontology, which studies being, existence, and reality. With Ontology, researchers try to understand the nature and existence of objects. Ontology seeks to answer questions like ‘What is existence?’ or ‘What is the meaning of entities, God, values, time, and space?’ Aristotle was the one to establish Ontology as one of the major branches of philosophy.
Other 5 Branches of Philosophy
Besides the above-mentioned philosophy and its branches, there are many other types of philosophy that you may or may not know about. We’ve listed them below:
1. Philosophy of Education: Talks about the aim and nature of education.
2. Philosophy of Law: Tries to understand the nature of law, how laws came into being, and whether we should obey laws.
3. Philosophy of Language: Investigates the nature, origin, and use of language.
4. Philosophy of Mind: Explains how the mind works, how it interacts with the body, and the states of consciousness.
5. Philosophy of Science: Studies the foundations, methods, and implications of science.
Top Universities for Philosophy
Many universities worldwide offer different branches of Philosophy courses. To reduce the burden of choosing the best colleges for you, we have curated a list of the top universities for philosophy as per the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023: Philosophy. You can also have a look at philosophy in the USA.
8 Job Opportunities with a Philosophy Degree
Now that you have a degree, you might be thinking about the job opportunities with a philosophy degree. It’s common to hear about what one can do with a philosophy degree, but worry not—it offers many good job opportunities. Here are the top 8 jobs you could look for with a philosophy degree.
Philosophy is just not an easy subject when it comes to learning. Each branch has its unique teachings and realms of nature. We hope this blog helps you understand the different branches of philosophy, explore the best universities for philosophy, and job opportunities you can get with it. So grab your cup of coffee, keep asking questions about anything you like, and dive into the world of philosophy.