philosophy
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
1Other words from philosophy
- an·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.
Words Nearby philosophy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use philosophy in a sentence
Letting the most junior members set the agenda might be a good philosophy for a Montessori preschool.
He teaches philosophy at Leuphana University, Lüneburg, and at the University of Fine Arts, Berlin.
What the Meadow Teaches Us - Issue 90: Something Green | Andreas Weber | September 16, 2020 | NautilusHer philosophy of language class is all tangled up in trying to explain English sentences to Martians with elaborate use of logical notations.
The true love story in Elif Batuman’s The Idiot is a love affair with language | Constance Grady | September 11, 2020 | VoxEven though most of the messaging in Silicon Valley is about creating a better world for us, making our lives easier and innovating, it also moves under the philosophy of move fast and break things.
Human Capital: The battle over the fate of gig workers continues | Megan Rose Dickey | September 11, 2020 | TechCrunchRaphaël Millière is a Presidential Scholar in Society and Neuroscience in the Center for Science and Society at Columbia University, where he conducts research on the philosophy of cognitive science.
Welcome to the Next Level of Bullshit - Issue 89: The Dark Side | Raphaël Millière | September 9, 2020 | Nautilus
Tom Cotton credits Harvard as the place where he “discovered political philosophy as a way of life.”
His philosophy is Everything to Someone rather than Something for Everyone.
The Hot Designer Who Hates Fashion: VK Nagrani Triumphs His Own Way | Tom Teodorczuk | December 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe course Jackson taught at VMI, “Natural and Experimental philosophy,” was brutally difficult.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor | S. C. Gwynne | November 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEach step of the way, Booker has thrived on the philosophy that your actions matter more than what you preach.
But Moglen, an Internet scholar, has developed something closer to a philosophy.
How Four Upstarts Built and Crashed the Anti-Facebook | Jake Whitney | November 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt lacks convincingness perhaps from the fact that Thomass theology is so largely philosophy, as Roger Bacon said.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II) | Henry Osborn TaylorOf course not,” said Wilkins, “proverbial philosophy asserts and requires that doctors should disagree.
Hunting the Lions | R.M. BallantyneBut he thought of the inexorable beating of that pulse of life—of life, and the will to live as her philosophy desired.
Bella Donna | Robert HichensSuch being the adjustment, the philosophy of the inhalation may be easily understood.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.Kilkelly was an excellent travelling companion, readily pleased, and taking things as they came with easy philosophy.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow
British Dictionary definitions for philosophy
/ (fɪˈlɒsəfɪ) /
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 school: the philosophy of Descartes
the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a discipline: the 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
Origin of philosophy
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for 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.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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