Answer to Question #315456 in Philosophy for Lesego

Question

Describe each of the following branches or concepts in philosophy. Your paragraphs should not exceed 500 words each.

a) Western Philosophy

b) Metaphysics

c) Logic

Answer 1

a) Western philosophy encompasses the philosophical thought and work of the Western world. Historically, the term refers to the philosophical thinking of Western culture, beginning with the ancient Greek philosophy of pre-Socratics. Very broadly speaking, according to some commentators, Western society strives to find and prove "the truth", while Eastern society accepts the truth as given and is more interested in finding the balance. Westerners put more stock in individual rights; Easterners in social responsibility. Modern western philosophy has not only been critical about orthodox religion but also came with ideals of secularism, humanism, scientific temperament, progress, and development. Skepticism, rationality, individualism, and scientific methods are influenced the human conception in understanding the world.

b) Metaphysics is a type of philosophy or study that uses broad concepts to help define reality and our understanding of it. Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of existence, being, and the world. Arguably, metaphysics is the foundation of philosophy: Aristotle calls it "first philosophy" (or sometimes just "wisdom"), and says it is the subject that deals with "first causes and the principles of things". Metaphysical studies generally seek to explain inherent or universal elements of reality that are not easily discovered or experienced in our everyday life. Peirce divided metaphysics into an ontology or general metaphysics, psychical or religious metaphysics, and physical metaphysics.

c) Logic refers to a proper or reasonable way of thinking about something: sound reasoning. A science that deals with the rules and processes used in sound thinking and reasoning. Logic is often seen as the study of the laws of thought, correct reasoning, valid inference, or logical truth. It is a formal science that investigates how conclusions follow from premises in a topic-neutral manner, i.e. independent of the specific subject matter discussed. There are four main logic types which are: informal logic, formal logic, symbolic logic, and mathematical logic.