The 8 branches of Philosophy (and its main thinkers)

Philosophy may be a complicated discipline, but we can divide it up to understand it better.

Philosophy is one of the most difficult fields of knowledge to define. This means that, throughout history, there have been many thinkers who have set themselves the task of putting words to this abstract concept.

Perhaps less difficult is to delimit the different branches of philosophy to have a better global vision both of this discipline and of the philosophers who dedicate themselves to it.

Main branches of philosophy

Bearing in mind that everything we think we know can be questioned in a thousand different ways, and that any kind of belief we have, no matter how deep-rooted it may be, is endangered by philosophy, it is interesting to know the different ways in which philosophers' work can help us learn, leaving behind outdated ideas.

The following is a review of the different branches of philosophy.The following is a review of the different branches of philosophy, which as a whole are evidence of the extent to which this is a varied and prolific activity, as well as of the different thinkers who stood out in each of them.

1. Epistemology

Epistemology focuses on the study of the way in which human beings generate knowledge from our reflections and our relationship with our environment.

It involves examining both the validity of the conclusions we reach, taking into account both the initial data and the methodology used, but also considering the social and historical context in which the hypotheses arise and the questions to be answered.

Epistemology has been around for many centuries, since the Renaissance, and among its most famous representatives are historical figures such as René Descartes, David Hume or John Locke.

2. Philosophy of Logic

The philosophers belonging to this field are devoted to the study of logical systemsTheir qualities and coherence, as well as the way in which they allow knowledge to be extracted. On the other hand, this field of philosophical research also reflects on the nature and anthology of logical operations: are they part of nature, or are they only a human construct, for example?

Moreover, it is now closely related to the fields of computer engineering.

Kurt Gödel, Aristotle or Charles Sanders Peirce are some of the thinkers who excelled in this discipline.

3. Ethics

Ethics is the branch of philosophy that is in charge of examining the ways in which we can establish what is morally right and what is not. Virtually all people act according to a morality, but very few ask themselves questions in a systematic way to examine to what extent their scales of values and their application of morality are correct.

Among the unknowns that ethics tries to solve is the question of whether universal morality exists or whether morality is only a human creation, a product of historical development and the contexts that we are passing through.

Socrates, Plato or Thomas Aquinas are examples of this type of philosophers.

4. Aesthetics

This is the branch of philosophy that focuses on the study of the perception of beauty. the study of the perception of beautyThe aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that focuses on the study of the perception of beauty, inside and outside the forms of expression of art, and whether it is a visual perception or not. Although not dedicated solely to this branch, both Martin Heidegger, Plato or Denis Diderot worked in this area.

5. Philosophy of science

This is the branch of philosophy that examines both the nature of science and the extent to which it is applied in practice to obtain valid and reliable knowledge.

Its appearance dates back to the late 1920s, when it emerged from the epistemology of the Vienna Circle. emerged from the epistemology of the Vienna Circle.. Among the most prominent thinkers in this field are Rudolf Carnap, Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn.

6. Ontology

Ontology is the branch of philosophy dedicated to inquire about the existence of phenomena. This does not only imply asking about what exists and what does not exist, but also considering in what sense things exist. to consider in what sense things existIs a crocodile the same as the concept of a dragon, since the latter only exists in fiction?

Some of the philosophers who stood out in this field were Plato, Aristotle, Georg Hegel, Gottfried Leibniz or George Berkeley.

7. Political Philosophy

The thinkers dedicated to this tradition dedicate themselves to thinking and researching about the concepts and and the logics behind political ideologies, social movements and social movements. and the value systems underlying political and economic proposals.

Montesquieu, Adam Smith, Max Stirner, Karl Marx, Simone de Beauvoir or Thomas Hobbes are some of the most important thinkers in this branch.

8. Philosophy of Language

This branch of philosophy focuses its inquiries on the nature of language and the type of information exchange that takes place through its daily or institutional use. In addition, it can serve as a support to the fields of science dedicated to understanding the practical use of language.

An example of a question to be answered by philosophers in this field is whether there is a direct relationship between signifier and signified, and how verbalizable concepts are created.

Ferdinand de Saussure or Ludwig Wittgenstein are examples of thinkers who were interested in this area.

Bibliographical references:

• Benton, M. (2017). Epistemology Personalized. The Philosophical Quarterly. 67 (269): pp. 813 - 834.
• Bunge, M. (2000). La investigación científica. Mexico City: Siglo XXI.
• Dear, P. (2007). La revolución de las ciencias. Madrid: Marcial Pons Historia.
• Popper, K. (1983). Conjectures and refutations : the development of scientific knowledge. Barcelona: Paidós.
• Quine, W.V.O. (2004). Philosophy of Logic. Harvard: Harvard University Press.