BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY, WHAT THEY STUDY AND CHARACTERISTICS - PHILOSOPHY

Among the main branches of philosophy are logic, political philosophy, gnoseology, ethics, metaphysics and the philosophy of language. Philosophy is the discipline that seeks to study the problems that are considered essential or fundamental for human beings.

The emphasis in philosophy is on the rationality of its arguments; It is not based on elements imposed by institutions or people of authority, but on rational thoughts.

Plato is considered one of the main philosophers in history. Source: pixabay.com

Philosophy recognizes the importance of empiricism, but its arguments do not usually come from experimentation, but from the analysis of the concepts taken into account. Through philosophy it is possible to develop critical thinking and an ethical vision that will make it possible to have a fuller development, both individually and in groups.

The most relevant branches of philosophy

Metaphilosophy

It is also known as the philosophy of philosophy. Its objective is to study the intrinsic characteristics of philosophy, the foundations on which it is based, its study methods and the objectives it pursues.

Through metaphilosophy, it is possible to question the relativity, autonomy and objectivity of the essential statements of philosophy, which allows this discipline to continue to develop on an increasingly firm basis.

History of Philosophy

It has to do with the study of the meaning of history and the way in which it is determining the development of societies. The history of philosophy considers what is known as historical consciousness.

In this branch of philosophy the causality of situations is taken into account, as well as the theories that are associated with human progress. Its main premise is that the process of history is a binding unit that has great influence on the development of societies.

Philosophy of religion

Through the philosophy of religion it is possible to study in depth the fundamental precepts of religions. Within his area of study is the questioning of God and nature.

This branch of philosophy differs from religious philosophy in that the latter focuses its attention on studying the philosophies that have been inspired by religions.

Applied philosophy

Through applied philosophy, a philosopher can help analyze problems related to various areas of study in the most critical way possible.

This branch of philosophy makes use of tools such as argumentation, logic and the analysis of experiences; thanks to this he is able to delve into the root of a problem in order to fully understand it.

Axiology

Axiology focuses its attention on the study of values and their nature. A more contemporary approach to this discipline also includes an in-depth analysis of antivalues.

The intention is to analyze what makes something valuable or not, focusing the study on the most essential foundations of each value or anti-value.

Esthetic

Aesthetics is responsible for the study of beauty, both in the artistic field and outside of it, through the experience of the senses. It has been defined as a science that studies sensitive knowledge.

Regarding the field of works of art, aesthetics studies the essential notion of works and the value judgments that are made about them.

Epistemology

This branch of philosophy studies knowledge as such. The elements that it takes into account are related to the social, political, economic and psychological realities in which knowledge has developed during different historical periods.

Likewise, epistemology analyzes in depth the notions of reality, truth and objectivity, among other key concepts to understand knowledge.

Ethics

Ethics focuses its study on the nature of the notions of good and evil. It also focuses on the peculiarities of morality, virtue and duty, all concepts related to the behavior of the human being.

This discipline studies the set of fundamental elements that make up morality; that is, ethics studies morality.

Legal philosophy

Legal philosophy is responsible for studying the roots of the essential foundations that make up the legal frameworks that govern a certain society. Raises questions related to justice and the application of laws.

Within the study of legal philosophy, a specific term is taken into account, since it is considered that each historical moment provides a different context that conditions the application of a specific legal framework.

Philosophy of education

This branch of philosophy studies educational phenomena from a philosophical point of view. That is, it considers the most essential elements of the practice to analyze them in depth and contribute to the generation of positive changes.

The main purpose of the philosophy of education is to produce concrete improvements through analysis. It is not a contemplative practice, but rather focused on action.

Feminist philosophy

Feminist philosophy seeks to restructure the historical notion of philosophy by considering the contributions that different female authors have had throughout history. This movement indicates that these contributions were not included in classical philosophy.

For this reason, one of the primary interests of feminist philosophy is to vindicate these authors, as well as analyze and propagate their approaches to the fundamental concepts of this discipline.

Sports philosophy

This discipline focuses its attention on studying the sporting phenomenon from a critical and deeply analytical vision, considering above all the values associated with the practices of sport and the identification of the being that is built from this activity.

Within the study of the philosophy of sport, questions such as the influence of sports activity on the conception of justice that a given society has, or on the morality of its citizens, are raised.

Philosophy of science

Through the philosophy of science it is sought to carry out a critical and deep analysis of this field of research. The idea is to consider all the dimensions related to science, such as the environmental, social and economic fields, among others.

The philosophy of science takes into account both the processes of knowledge production and the way in which it is applied. Also of special focus is the various modes through which science develops and expands.

Logic

Logic is dedicated to studying the structures of thought. He concentrates his efforts on analyzing the concepts and reasoning in general with the intention of creating arguments that are valid and are correctly stated.

Some philosophers have determined that logic allows considering a criterion of truth. When seeking to generate valid arguments, logic has a direct influence on the regulations related to scientific research.

Metaphysics

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that analyzes the foundations of reality. His field of study covers the analysis of all the elements that condition and determine the reality that surrounds the human being.

Among the foundations that determine reality, being stands out especially, so metaphysics concentrates its efforts on understanding and deeply analyzing being as a transforming entity of reality.

Political philosophy

This branch of philosophy has had an important influence on the creation and application of the main political ideas that have been generated throughout history.

The main objective of political philosophy is to critically and deeply analyze the nature of political fact, considering the most essential elements that make up politics as science.

Political philosophy studies areas related to power relations, the notion of authority, political knowledge as such, and the phenomena that are generated as a consequence of social conflicts that can occur in a given context, among other aspects.

Social philosophy

Human relations and their implications are the main object of study of social philosophy. This branch of philosophy considers the human being and its material and immaterial contexts, thanks to which it can understand the dynamics that become the basis of societies.

Among the main problems studied by social philosophy, the notions of justice, equality and freedom stand out, aspects that play an essential role in human relationships.

The concept of freedom is of great importance for social philosophy, since the foundations of this discipline establish that only the free man is capable of building a society.

According to social philosophy, societies are obvious representations of the wills of individuals and, at the same time, are the responsibility of the entire group of people that make it up.

Natural philosophy

Natural philosophy is dedicated to critically analyzing the physical environment that houses the human being, and where it interacts with various elements.

The real plane is considered in its entirety, as well as all the implications that this reality has in relation to man and his way of seeing the world in which he lives.

The concepts developed by this branch of philosophy were also known in ancient times as physics or the history of philosophy.

This discipline had a special role in the distancing of philosophy and religion, since the first philosophers were based precisely on the explanation of nature and reality to contradict the theological arguments that prevailed at that time.

Moral philosophy

Moral philosophy specifically studies the value systems that determine the actions of human beings. It seeks to analyze in depth the implications of what is considered good and bad, as well as the nature of those valuations.

This discipline considers that freedom is one of the fundamental characteristics in the human being, because only in freedom is it possible to discern between good and evil.

Moral philosophy seeks to promote a space for reflection that allows us to be aware of the intrinsic responsibility of human beings in relation to the moral decisions with which they are committed.

Gnoseology

This branch of philosophy is also known as the theory of knowledge. Its main object of study is precisely knowledge, as well as the methods used to achieve and develop it.

Epistemology focuses on understanding the origins and limits of knowledge. In addition, it uses the scientific method within its study processes, as it stipulates that all knowledge must be verifiable to be considered reliable.

Some contemporary approaches have used gnoseology as a method to promote self-knowledge. This approach speaks of understanding the origins, limitations and dynamics of the knowledge that the person has about himself. Thanks to this it is possible to carry out a critical reflection on one's own being.

Philosophy of language

The philosophy of language focuses its attention on the reflections that arise when analyzing the relationships that exist between the systems of language, thought and reality.

The critical analysis of language is of great importance for all branches of philosophy, since only by deeply understanding all the dimensions of language is it possible to build fundamental concepts and notions that can be expressed through it.

Like the other branches of philosophy, the philosophy of language bases its actions on critical, conceptual and logical analyzes, and not on actions of an empirical nature.

Through the philosophy of language it is also possible to analyze the relationships that exist between expressions that seek to describe thoughts and reality. The intention is to build a common notion that allows the linguistic system to help reflect on how human beings interact with their context.

Philosophy of mind

In the philosophy of mind the main object of study is precisely the mind. Among the elements that it analyzes, feelings, dreams, perceptions, sensations, beliefs and, in general, thoughts stand out.

This branch of philosophy gives special importance to the intentionality of thought. It also considers the reasons why such and such mental stimuli are developed, and the implications that these stimuli have on the actions and behaviors of human beings.

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BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY, WHAT THEY STUDY AND CHARACTERISTICS - PHILOSOPHY - 2025