Philosophy: A Precise Definition as Defined by the Philosophical Association

What is philosophy? Most people do not really know the answer to this question and many people, in fact, ask this question. Philosophy is such a broad topic and addresses so many different issues that it is literally impossible to correctly sum the whole of it up in one simple definition for philosophy actually requires a multidimensional definition. This definition, however, can be broken down into four basic statements that help to comprehend what philosophy is.

Philosophy is the search for self-understanding. What is the reward in pursuing philosophy? The answer is that philosophy can lead to self-understanding. It helps you to know who you really are aside from all the impressions you put on to other people. It also helps you to understand your beliefs and values and why you behave the way that you do. Thus, one aspect of the definition of philosophy is that philosophy is the search for self-understanding.

Philosophy is the love and pursuit of wisdom. Philosophy literally means "love of wisdom." Socrates stated that the philosopher was one who had a passion for wisdom and was intoxicated by this love. And, true, you do not deeply ponder issues that you do not truly care about, so to deeply reflect and introspect for the purpose of gaining wisdom, you must love wisdom. Therefore, philosophy is also the love and pursuit of wisdom.

Philosophy is the asking of questions about the meaning of our basic concepts. Questions such as "Is there a God? Do we have freedom or are we determined?" are examples of such questions asked by philosophers. However, they also ask where did these basic concepts such as God, justice, meaning, freedom, and moral good and evil come from and how do we know that they exist? Therefore, philosophy is, too, the asking of questions about the meaning of our basic concepts.

Lastly, philosophy is the search for fundamental beliefs that are rationally justified. We have many beliefs and values, but are they justified? Why do we believe them? What reason do we have to believe them and are they justified? Shouldn't we be able to back up what we say? The simple fact is that many of our beliefs are shared just because we have learned them from others. Philosophy leads you to justify why you believe what you do, causing you to search for a justifiable belief. Thus, philosophy is the search for fundamental beliefs that are rationally justified.

These four components all comprise the true definition of what philosophy really is. It is the search for self-understanding, the love and pursuit of wisdom, the asking of questions about the meaning of our basic concepts, and the search for fundamental beliefs that are rationally justified.