The 8 philosophical disciplines: what are they, types, and what do they study?

A summary of the philosophical disciplines: esistemology, axiology, gnoseology, etc.

Human knowledge, the reason for being, existence itself, beauty... These are concepts that have been raised throughout the history of mankind, through philosophy. Philosophy is an ancient field of study that encompasses different philosophical disciplines.

In this article, in addition to explaining what philosophy is, we will get to know the 8 philosophical disciplines that we can find within it, according to what they study. We will know the object of study of each one of them and their essential characteristics.

What do we understand by philosophy?

Philosophy is a very ancient field of study, having its origins in ancient Greece, where thinkers were already asking questions about life, knowledge and death. Their contributions have led to the the birth of many currents of thought, sciences and theoretical orientations.. It is a system of knowledge that straddles theology and science, and is based on reason.

Thus, philosophy encompasses a series of knowledge that seeks to answer questions such as: Where do we come from? What is the meaning of man, etc.? In addition, it is important to note that the psychology we know today was born from philosophy.

That is, it seeks to answer transcendental questions of the human being, through the exploration of knowledge, reflection and reason.. In addition, it also explores other aspects such as ethics, morality, beauty or language, through the questioning of reality.

Philosophical disciplines

Philosophy is a very broad field of study that can be divided into smaller fields; these are its various branches of study, the so-called philosophical disciplines.

The philosophical disciplines are those intellectual activities that show us the forms that philosophy can take, of which there are many.which are many. Since the first philosophers appeared thousands of years ago, they have addressed many areas of reflection and research, and some of them are very different from each other, so they can be classified into different categories.

Thus, we can understand the philosophical disciplines as the different starting points from which we can ask questions and try to answer them, depending on the nature of these questions. according to the nature of these questions. Each of them aims to answer specific questions or problems, and has specific characteristics; moreover, their object of study varies.

In this article we will see what are the main philosophical disciplines, and in what subjects each of them is immersed.

1. Logic

The first of the philosophical disciplines we are going to discuss is logic, considered a formal (non-empirical) science. Its name comes from the term "Logos" (in Greek), which means idea, thought or reason. The object of study of logic are the ideas themselves, and seeks to draw conclusions from certain premisesThe object of the study of logic is the ideas themselves, and seeks to draw conclusions from certain premises, through the drawing of inferences.

Inferences, for their part, can be of two types: valid or invalid. Logic is what will allow us to determine what type they are. Logic can be applied in various fields or fields of study, such as mathematics or computer science, as it can be a very useful tool for solving complex problems. In turn, it maintains a close relationship with what is known as formal sciences, to the point that it becomes blurred with the concept of science itself.

2. Systematics

Epistemology, the second of the philosophical disciplines we are considering, studies knowledge itself. Its name has its origin in the term "Episteme", which means knowledge. This philosophical discipline is in charge of studying all those facts (psychological, social, historical...) that have led to the attainment of knowledge. have led to the attainment of scientific knowledge.

Other terms that have been used to speak of epistemology are the "Philosophy of Science", since its object of study is knowledge, and also deals with the study of why some sources of scientific knowledge are "valid" and others are not.

Thus, epistemology is in charge of studying knowledge itself, but also its typology (content, meaning...) and degree of veracity. It delves into human knowledge itself, seeking its foundations, principles and methods that allow us to obtain it, as well as the limitations of what we can get to know in a consistent way.

3. Axiology

The object of study of axiology is values.. That is to say, it studies the value of things, what is understood by value, what is its nature, etc. It delves into their foundations and essence, and how they relate to the human being. That is why axiology is often also called the "philosophy of values".

Etymologically, the word axiology comes from "Axis" (value) and "Logia" (study, science). This word was used for the first time in 1902 by Paul Lapieand later by Eduard Von Hartmann in 1908. It was the latter author who consolidated it as a philosophical discipline, and who used it as the basis for his studies in philosophy.

In addition, axiology is closely related to another of the philosophical disciplines that we will see in this article: ethics. The latter focuses on the concepts of good and evil.

4. Ontology

Ontology has as its object of study "being in general", as well as its essence and properties. Among the philosophical disciplines, it is one of those with a greater metaphysical component. (in fact some experts consider it to be part of it). Etymologically, the word ontology comes from the Greek "Onthos" (being) and "Logia" (study, science).

Ontology is also concerned with the study of the relations between entities, and the relations between acts and the persons who perform them.

On the other hand, it also aims to analyze the principles that govern being itself, the general categories of human beings and the kinds of entities that exist.. An entity is a "thing or being that has real or imaginary existence"; it is a somewhat abstract, metaphysical concept. Thus, ontology goes beyond physical appearance, and seeks to analyze the most abstract or intangible things or beings.

5. Philosophical anthropology

Another of the philosophical disciplines, philosophical anthropology, is in charge of studying man as the object and subject of philosophical knowledge. Etymologically it also comes from Greek, specifically from the term "Antrophos", which means man.

Thus, it aims to find out what determines the rational and spiritual condition in people, from the investigation of the human essence. It seeks to understand the human being's place in the cosmos, his problems and conflicts, his nature of being, etc.their nature of being, etc. Nowadays anthropology is a university degree.

6. Ethics

Ethics is another of the philosophical disciplines "par excellence". It is in charge of studying "good and evil" according to fundamental principles in relation to human behavior.in relation to human behavior. Etymologically, it comes from the term "Ethos", which means custom.

Ethics also studies the relationship between the acts or behaviors of human beings (good or bad) and morality itself. Thus, it is the philosophical discipline that would regulate the social norms and customs within a community, allowing us to value behaviors within "ethical" or moral parameters, qualifying them as right or wrong, good or bad, etc.

It is one of the philosophical disciplines with the most practical use, because it is based on everyday situations, many of which can be experienced by most people, and tells us about our way of conceptualizing good and evil, the distinction between the moral value of intentions and effects, etc.

7. Aesthetics

Aesthetics deals with the study of beauty, the perception of beauty and aesthetic judgments.. Etymologically, it comes from the word "Aisthanomai" (to feel the beautiful), although it has also been said that it comes from the Greek "Aisthetikê", which means sensation or perception.

In other words, it could be said that aesthetics is the "Philosophy of Art". Specifically, it studies the aesthetic experience, the nature of the value of beauty, the order and harmony of things capable of being beautiful.. It also analyzes what conditions are necessary to feel or perceive that something is beautiful.

On the other hand, aesthetics is in charge of formulates a series of categories and foundations within the artistic field, in the language of art.. This allows philosophy to be introduced in many fields of the Humanities and Art History, among other fields of knowledge with which it maintains a close relationship.

8. Gnoseology

The last of the philosophical disciplines, gnoseology, comes from the terms "gnosis" (knowledge) and "logia" (study, science). Gnoseology is also called "Theory of Knowledge", and its object of study is the essence, foundations, scope, limitations, elements, origin and evolution of knowledge.

This philosophical discipline allows us to analyze the human experience and the phenomena that we perceive and experience of reality, through different modalitiesthrough different modalities: perception, recollection, imagination, thought, etc.

On the other hand, gnoseology presents three fundamental premises that it seeks to resolve: the "knowing what", the "knowing" and the "knowing how" of all experience and knowledge.

Bibliographical references:

• Aristotle (2008). Metaphysics. Alianza Editorial.
• Carpio, A. (2004). Principios de filosofía: una introducción a su problemática. Buenos Aires: Glauco.
• González, M. J. (1998). Introduction to the Psychology of Thought. Madrid: Trotta.
• Mackie, J. (2000). Ethics: the invention of good and bad. Barcelona: Gedisa.
• Real Academia Española. (2001). Dictionary of the Spanish Language [Diccionario de la lengua española] (22nd ed.). Madrid, Spain.
• Thullier, P. (1993). Filosofía de las ciencias humanas y sociales [Philosophy of the human and social sciences]. Ed. Fontamara, Mexico.