philosophy

[fi-los-uh-fee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR philosophy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural phi·los·o·phies.

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

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

a particular system of thought based on such study or investigation: the philosophy of Spinoza.

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.

a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs.

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

Origin of philosophy

1250–1300; Middle English philosophie < Latin philosophia < Greek philosophía. See philo-, -sophy

Related formsan·ti·phi·los·o·phy, adjective, noun, plural an·ti·phi·los·o·phies.non·phi·los·o·phy, noun, plural non·phi·los·o·phies.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for philosophies

system, thought, outlook, theory, viewpoint, thinking, idea, wisdom, ideology, attitude, truth, doctrine, logic, tenet, reasoning, view, conception, axiom, reason, values

Examples from the Web for philosophies

Contemporary Examples of philosophies

Stay: A History of Suicide and the Philosophies Against Itby Jennifer Michael Hecht.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Nov. 18, 2013
Thomas Flynn
November 18, 2013
Instead they are men, real men, with philosophies, dreams, humor, and deep sadness.
Finding God Behind Bars: A Look at Religion in American Prisons
Joshua DuBois
August 25, 2013
In fact, their philosophies mean that there will be war of words between the two.
‘Downton Abbey’ Season 3: Julian Fellowes, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, and More
Jace Lacob
January 4, 2013
These two philosophies are fracturing organizations at the top of the atheist activism food chain.
The Atheist Recruiting Machine
Lauren Sandler
November 3, 2009
We were children of the middle class, have the same values and philosophies.
Hillary's Secret Weapon
Sandra McElwaine
June 12, 2009

Historical Examples of philosophies

The philosophies of Epicurus or Hume give no adequate or dignified conception of the mind.
Theaetetus
Plato
The latest phases of all philosophies were fathered upon the founder of the school.
Parmenides
Plato
Another of Mr. Caryll's philosophies was that, when all is said, man is little of a free agent.
The Lion's Skin
Rafael Sabatini
But your theologies have been almost as false as the philosophies.
Buchanan's Journal of Man, February 1887
Various
From Germany have come the arts, the sciences, the philosophies of the world, and not from there.
Michael
E. F. Benson

British Dictionary definitions for philosophies

philosophy

noun plural -phies

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)

the particular doctrines relating to these issues of some specific individual or schoolthe philosophy of Descartes

the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a disciplinethe philosophy of law

archaic, or literary the investigation of natural phenomena, esp alchemy, astrology, and astronomy

any system of belief, values, or tenets

a personal outlook or viewpoint

serenity of temper

Word Origin for philosophy

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for philosophies

philosophy

c.1300, "knowledge, body of knowledge," from Old French filosofie "philosophy, knowledge" (12c., Modern French philosophie) and directly from Latin philosophia and from Greek philosophia "love of knowledge, pursuit of wisdom; systematic investigation," from philo- "loving" (see philo-) + sophia "knowledge, wisdom," from sophis "wise, learned;" of unknown origin.

Nec quicquam aliud est philosophia, si interpretari velis, praeter studium sapientiae; sapientia autem est rerum divinarum et humanarum causarumque quibus eae res continentur scientia. [Cicero, "De Officiis"]

[Philosophical problems] are, of course, not empirical problems; but they are solved through an insight into the workings of our language, and that in such a way that these workings are recognized -- despite an urge to misunderstand them. The problems are solved, not through the contribution of new knowledge, rather through the arrangement of things long familiar. Philosophy is a struggle against the bewitchment (Verhexung) of our understanding by the resources of our language. [Ludwig Wittgenstein, "Philosophical Investigations," 1953]

Meaning "system a person forms for conduct of life" is attested from 1771.

philosophies in Culture

philosophy

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.)