philosophy

[fi-los-uh-fee]

noun

plural

philosophies 

1. the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct.

2. any of the three branches, namely natural philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysical philosophy, that are accepted as composing this study.

3. a particular system of thought based on such study or investigation.

   the philosophy of Spinoza.

4. the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge, especially with a view to improving or reconstituting them.

   the philosophy of science.

5. a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs.

6. an attitude of rationality, patience, composure, and calm in the presence of troubles or annoyances.

philosophy

/ fɪˈlɒsəfɪ /

noun

1. the academic discipline concerned with making explicit the nature and significance of ordinary and scientific beliefs and investigating the intelligibility of concepts by means of rational argument concerning their presuppositions, implications, and interrelationships; in particular, the rational investigation of the nature and structure of reality (metaphysics), the resources and limits of knowledge (epistemology), the principles and import of moral judgment (ethics), and the relationship between language and reality (semantics)

2. the particular doctrines relating to these issues of some specific individual or school

   the philosophy of Descartes

3. the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a discipline

   the philosophy of law

4. archaic,  the investigation of natural phenomena, esp alchemy, astrology, and astronomy

5. any system of belief, values, or tenets

6. a personal outlook or viewpoint

7. serenity of temper

philosophy

1. A study that attempts to discover the fundamental principles of the sciences, the arts, and the world that the sciences and arts deal with; the word philosophy is from the Greek for “love of wisdom.” Philosophy has many branches that explore principles of specific areas, such as knowledge (epistemology), reasoning (logic), being in general (metaphysics), beauty (aesthetics), and human conduct (ethics). Different approaches to philosophy are also called philosophies. (See also epicureanism, existentialism, idealism, materialism, nihilism, pragmatism, stoicism, and utilitarianism.)

Other Word Forms

• antiphilosophy adjective
• nonphilosophy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of philosophy¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English philosophie, from Latin philosophia, from Greek philosophía; philo-, -sophy

Word History and Origins

Origin of philosophy¹

C13: from Old French filosofie, from Latin philosophia, from Greek, from philosophos lover of wisdom

Example Sentences

It is driven in part by a philosophy known in some academic circles as AI decolonization.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Food and medicine share the same roots,” she says, citing the yaksikdongwon philosophy, “If I had to choose, I’d much rather that you stay healthy with delicious food rather than bitter medicine.”

Read more on Salon

The vast differences in equipment, training, technology, philosophy, and yes, money, make it virtually impossible to render an accurate comparison.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The lawyer and entrepreneur behind it is Dr. Aron D’Souza, who isn’t a medical doctor, but rather holds a degree from Oxford and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Melbourne.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Persico declares Locke “one of liberalism’s founding fathers” for weaving all of these strands together—“the image of God, natural law, reason and rights”—in his political philosophy.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• attitude 
• doctrine 
• idea 
• ideology 
• logic 
• outlook 
• reasoning 
• system 
• tenet 
• theory 
• thinking 
• thought 
• truth 
• view 
• viewpoint 
• wisdom 

When To Use

What does philosophy mean?

Philosophy is a field of science that investigates reality and human existence, as in I am currently studying philosophy in college.The word philosophy is also used to mean a specific doctrine based on such investigation, as in I wrote my term paper on the philosophy of Plato.And philosophy is used more generally to mean a set of beliefs or an outlook, as in My philosophy on life is to be kind to everyone.Philosophy is a complex, abstract field of science. It often analyzes difficult and ultimately unanswerable topics, such as the meaning of life, the morals and ethics of humanity, and what it means to be human. Philosophy is divided into the three branches of natural philosophy (nature and the natural world), moral philosophy (morals and ethics), and metaphysical philosophy (the nature of existence and origins of the universe).In a related sense, the word philosophy is used to refer to the specific doctrines or schools of thought of a person who studies philosophy, such as Plato and Socrates, two famous ancient Greek philosophers.More generally, the word philosophy means any set of beliefs or values. It could be a philosophy on how to organize societies, as with political philosophy. Or it could be your personal outlook or viewpoint.Example: Jaime did some research on feminist philosophy to better understand feminism.