Philosophy is a field of study that includes diverse subfields such as aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, logic, and metaphysics, in which people ask questions such as whether God exists, what is the nature of reality, whether knowledge is possible, and what makes actions right or wrong. The fundamental method of philosophy is the use of reasoning to evaluate arguments concerning these questions. However, the exact scope and methodology of philosophy is not rigid. What counts as philosophy is itself debated, and it varies across philosophical traditions.

The term philosophy comes from the Greek word "Φιλοσοφία" (philo-sophia), which means "love of wisdom" or less commonly "friend of wisdom". Many ancient Greek philosophers made the distinction between the desire for wisdom, as opposed to the desire for material things, vices, and the satisfaction of bodily desires. The definition of wisdom for many ancient Greeks would have been about virtue and the desire for knowledge and not false opinions. However, the term is notoriously difficult to define today (see definition of philosophy) because of the diverse range of ideas that have been labeled as philosophy. The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy defines it as the study of "the most fundamental and general concepts and principles involved in thought, action, and reality". The Penguin Encyclopedia says that philosophy differs from science in that philosophy's questions cannot be answered empirically, and from religion in that philosophy allows no place for faith or revelation. However, these points are called into question by the Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, which states: "the late 20th-century... prefers to see philosophical reflection as continuous with the best practice of any field of intellectual enquiry." Indeed, many of the speculations of early philosophers in the field of natural philosophy eventually formed the basis for modern scientific explanations on a variety of subjects.

Informally, a "philosophy" may refer to a general world view or to a specific ethic or belief.

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@rdonoghue Why do I get the feeling this could be, like, five t-shirts with slightly different wording worn by five angry philosophers? :P
danielsolis (danielsolis) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:48:35 -0000
@rdonoghue Why do I get the feeling this could be, like, five t-shirts with slightly different wording worn by five angry philosophers? :P
@RochelleTheSats Is this Roch the ever growing philosophers reputation :P I just want to make sure 2010 is worth saying goodbye to 09 for!
NickMajorLuck (Nick Edwards) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:19:56 -0000
@RochelleTheSats Is this Roch the ever growing philosophers reputation :P I just want to make sure 2010 is worth saying goodbye to 09 for!
Hannam, God's Philosophers: http://bit.ly/5rMFaj Superb, well-written history of the gestation of science. Def on my Best of 00s List #books
bettiwettiwoo (betti w. woo) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:11:23 -0000
Hannam, God's Philosophers: http://bit.ly/5rMFaj Superb, well-written history of the gestation of science. Def on my Best of 00s List #books
RT @Robin2go, @LAUSatPSU: Dean Long on Social Media and Community: http://bit.ly/7mLRZT We philosophers are wicked smart. #philosopherkings
MaxSpiegel (MaxSpiegel) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:08:26 -0000
RT @Robin2go, @LAUSatPSU: Dean Long on Social Media and Community: http://bit.ly/7mLRZT We philosophers are wicked smart. #philosopherkings
I love Harry in #SilentWitness. Nice hair, rather gorgeous, he recognises quotes from Greek philosophers, & he's generally wonderful.
Dreamer_Mike (Mike Underwood) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:32:52 -0000
I love Harry in #SilentWitness. Nice hair, rather gorgeous, he recognises quotes from Greek philosophers, & he's generally wonderful.
Bad philosophers may have a certain influence; good philosophers, never. -Russell, Bertrand http://quotationsbook.com/quote/30289/
quotesoftheday (Quotes of the Day) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:09:02 -0000
Bad philosophers may have a certain influence; good philosophers, never. -Russell, Bertrand http://quotationsbook.com/quote/30289/

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