15 Philosophy and Other Disciplines
15 Philosophy and Other Disciplines
15 Philosophy and Other Disciplines
BY:
important questions about a discipline, such as the nature of its concepts and its relation to other
disciplines, do not belong to that discipline, are not usually pursued in it, and are philosophical in
nature.Philosophy is both related to most disciplines and yet different from them.Philosophy’s
techniques apply to problems in any field of study or human endeavour. Philosophy enhances one’s
ability to perceive the relationships among the various fields of study.2 As the systemic study of
ideas and issues, philosophy may examine concepts and views drawn from sciences, arts, religion,
law, politics or any other realm.Although philosophy and other disciplines share some of the same
goals, as could be see later in this paper, philosophy alone aims to see how other disciplines are
term used for many forms of inquiry we today call mathematics, cosmology, geometry, history,
politics, ethics, etc. Philosophy encompassed any body of knowledge.3 In this sense, philosophy is
related to religion, mathematics, politics, natural sciences and education. The growth of modern
research universities led academic philosophy and other disciplines to professionalize and
specialize.4 Philosophy is the mother of all disciplines.Philosophy came into being through man’s
desire for knowledge for its own sake. That was why Bertrand Russell declared that philosophy and
1
LECTURER, FACULTY OF LAW, ADELEKE UNIVERSITY, EDE, OSUN STATE, NIGERIA
2
What is philosophy? Colonia State University, Northridge
3
“Philosophy” (htt//www. etymoline.com /index.php? allowed_in_frame=0search=philosophy). www.Etymonline.com. Online
Etymological Dictionary. Retrieved 19 March 2016. “The English word “Philosophy” is first attested to cc. 1300, meaning
“Knowledge, body of knowledge”.
4
Shapin Steven (I January, 1998). The Scientific Revolution (htts://looks.Google.com/books?Id= 6Blr19MTXAMC)(1 st
ed.).University of Chicago press. ISBN 978-0-226-75021-7
1
science were not separated at the evolution: they were born together as one discipline. Many
scientific discoveries were made by ‘Greek Philosopher Scientists’ such as Thales5, Anaximander6,
and Anaximenes7. At the beginning, all disciplines were one: philosophy. For instance, it was
difficult to differentiate philosophical writings from the scientific writings in Plato’s and Aristotle’s
writings.
In classical study, philosophy was traditionally divided into three principal parts: Natural
Philosophy, Moral Philosophy (ethics) and Metaphysical Philosophy (logic). Natural Philosophy
has split into the various natural sciences, especially astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology and
cosmology. Moral Philosophy has given birth to the social sciences; and Metaphysical Philosophy
has given birthto logic and mathematics. In the 18th century, philosophy gave birth to the science.
Science was the first child of philosophy. Science first started as Natural Philosophy and became
natural science.Natural science later split into Biology, Chemistry, Physics, etc by the effort of
Democritus, Pythagoras, Lucretius, Epicurus, etc. In the 19th century, philosophy gave birth to
social sciences by virtue of Malthus, Karl Marx, Ricardo, AugusteCombeetc. The social cientists
were divided into two groups: one canvassed for social science as a single discipline while the other
groupsupported different disciplines of social science. The first single social science discipline was
respectively.Up till today, philosophy is still giving birth to more disciplines –the latest being
Since the 20th century many of those who study philosophy contribute to the fields of law,
journalism, politics, religion, sciences, business and various arts and entertainment activities. Cutis
White argued that philosophical tools are essential to humanities, sciences and social
sciences.There are people trained in philosophy in nearlyall the fields. They have gone not only
into such professionals as medicine and law but also into computer science, management,
5
He discovered the Eclipse of 585 BC
6
He discovered the evolution of mankind
7
He discovered the cause of rainbow
2
publishing, sales, and other fields. The widespread comprehensive nature of philosophy reflects
today in the fact that the highest academic degree in any discipline so far is PhD8: any person who
receives a ‘PhD’ in any discipline is technically receiving doctorate in philosophy. This means that
divided into physics, biology, chemistry, etc. Philosophy of sciences clarifies both the quest for
scientific knowledge and the result yielded by that quest. It does this by exploring the logic of
scientific evidence, the nature of scientific laws, explanations, and theories, and the possible
connections among the various branches of science.The term ‘science’ evolved in English in the
19th century. Earlier, someone we called a scientist would be called a natural philosopher. In fact,
Darwin thought of himself as a nature historian. The sciences may be thought of as being based on
a philosophy of nature and inquiry, an account of observations and hypotheses, confirmation and
falsification, reason and reliability. The history of science was, from the beginning in Ancient
Greece, virtually inseparable from philosophy. Today sciences are often thought of as providing an
increasing body of evidence and theories that are vital for philosophy reflection.For example, is
biological evolution (and chemistry and physics) able to account for ethic and religion?
More ever, the value of science is frequently a topic for philosophical inquiry. In the history of
science, one may see the influence and study of human life, animal consciousness, space and time
that have important implications for our values and the means of life.
Philosophy as a discipline can be called a science. However, it is not a science in the sense of
investigation of the causes of the things. Having mere knowledge of things does to make one a
scientist; a scientist must know the causes of what he knows. A man of experience is a man who
knows that when certain things are combined in a certain way, the combination will work in a
8
PhD stands for doctor philosophiae in Latin, ie Doctor of Philosophy
3
specific way. A man of science knows more that this: he knows the ‘why’ of thing, ie why the
combined things work in the specific way. Thus, Aristotle said that a man of experience cannot
Aristotle referred to philosophy as being the first science and the last science. It was the first
science on the ground that philosophy was premised by every science (i.e. every other science leads
to philosophy); and it was the last science on the grounds that one must have had knowledge of
other sciences before one can understand philosophy very well. He declared that all science had
shares in philosophy while every other science deals with specific division of being or
reality.Philosophy is universal in the sense that philosophy deals with organization of many
fundamental principles that originate from the sciences. What cannot be solved by the specific
From the time of ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, to the 19th century, natural philosophy
encompassed astronomy, medicine, and physics. For example, Newton’s 1687 Mathematical
Principles ofNatural Philosophy later became classified as a book of physics.Chalmers and a few
others see progress in philosophy as similar to that in science.11Thales (c.624-546 BCE) and
Pythagoras (c.570-495 BCE) practiced ‘Love of Wisdom’(philosophia) and they were referred to as
Philosophy has both influenced and been influenced by sciences. The physical sciences provide
accepted information about the world at any given time. Philosophers have arranged this body of
information into a meaningful pattern and interpreted it while describing what reality might be
like.Western philosophers provided basic metaphysical theories for the scientist to fit their data
into; and as the data changed, their metaphysical theories have to change too.For example, the
scientific revolution of the 17th century was brought about by combined efforts of scientists –
9
Ngamen-Kouassi, C. GST 203: Introduction to Philosophy and Logic NOUN, Lagos 2007
10
Ibid
11
Video x Audio: Why isn’t there more progress in philosophy? :-Metadata” (http://www.sms.com.ac.uk/media/1484/58) Retrieved
25 April 2016
12
Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Fredric; Parowan, Robert F (1 January 2006). Lectures on the History of Philosophy: Greek philosophy.
Clarendon press. P.33 ISBN 978-0-19-927906-7(https://books.google.com/books? Id =VvghYDArwC
4
Johannes Kepler,Galileo and Newton- and philosophers – Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz. In the
late 18thand early 19th centuries, philosophers in England and France decided that the sciences
should be completely divorced from the traditional metaphysical theories, and that the sciences
should describe and codify scientific observations and experiences. As a result, the sciences were
independent of the philosophy; and the philosophy of science was developed to examine methods
of sciences, the types of scientific evidence and development of the sciences.13A special case of
philosophy’s problems of definability plays an important role in the empirical sciences under the
title “Identification problem”.14 Philosophers clarified the concept of a model as it is used in the
ii. Methodologists: They want to use the full power of set theory and of the mathematics based
Many empirical sciences use mathematical tools borrowed from probability theory and statistics
and some other philosophical theories. A modest beginning in the study of the empirical sciences’
foundations has been made in modern inductive logic. Philosophy of science explores the
foundations, methods, history, implications and purpose of science. Many of its sub-divisions
correspond to specific branches of science, e.g. Philosophy of biology deals specifically with the
metaphysical, epistemological and ethical uses in the biomedical and life sciences. The philosophy
mathematics.Philosophy and science share some same goals: along with scientists, philosophers
Difference between Philosophy and science can be explained as follows:The subject matter of
philosophy and that of sciences are different: the subject matter of sciences is explanation of natural
‘is why’ of the natural phenomena. The philosopher’s purpose begins where that of the scientists
ends. That is why it is always difficult for a scientist to answer philosophical question: Does God
exist? Is the mind subject to matter or is it possessed of independent power? What is the nature of
ultimate reality as contrasted to the apparent reality of ordinary experience? What is truth? What
is good? What is beauty? How can be beautiful be distinguished from the ugly? One cannot find an
answer to any of these questions in the science laboratories.The sciences have six step procedures:
Philosophy on the other hand, has its methods which include natural reason, speculative, analytic,
the beginning of both mathematics and philosophy in ancient Greece, relations were seen between
them. The philosophers were strongly impressed by degree of certainty and rigour that existed in
said that mathematics must be the key to understanding reality.15Plato fell that mathematics
provided the forms out of which everything was made. Aristotle, on the contras, asserted that
mathematics was about ideal object rather than real ones; and that mathematics could be certain
without telling us anything about reality.In modern times, Descartes and Baruch Spinoza used
mathematics as their model and inspiration for formulating new methods to discover the truth about
reality. Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, who, in addition with Isaac Newton, discovered Calculus,
formulated a theory about constructing an ideal mathematics language in which to state, and
mathematically solve all philosophical problems. However, these views have not got unanimous
assent.
15
Philosophy’s Relation to Other Disciplines
6
Set theory is a branch of mathematics or a branch of symbolic logic. Axiom is a concept used in
system of axioms16 of set theory17.However, what the axioms can achieve is not obvious in all the
Algebra19. The axioms of set theory may be presumed to hold in virtue of the meanings of the
terms set, member of and so on. Here it could be said that pure mathematics falls, in loose sense,
within the scope of philosophy (most especially logic) in wide sense. However, philosophy has no
ways of analyzing the meanings of the terms set with a view to telling what assumptions (ie axioms
of set theory) should be adopted.The definitions of basic mathematical concepts (eg ‘number’) were
proposed in logical terms by philosophers such as GottlobFrege(1884) and Bertrand Russel (1903)
and their successors. It is not clear that more recent insights in philosophy have helped very much
in the search for the assumptions of set theory.Considering the foregoing, it could be concluded that
the relationship of mathematics to logic on the level of axiomatic set theory remains ambiguous.
However, the concept, axiom, has subtle differences in definition when used in the context of
mathematics, is used in two related but distinguishable senses: Logical axioms and non-logical
axioms. Logical axioms are statements that are taken to be true within the system of logic they
define, often shown in symbolic form. Non logical axioms are actually substantive assertions about
the domain of a specific mathematical theory.Specific logical results are applicable in several parts
16
‘Axioms’ is similar to theories, assumptions. An axiom or postulate is a statement that is taken to be, to save a premise or stating
point for further reasoning and arguments
17
The branch of mathematics which deals with the formal properties of sets as units without regard to the nature of their individual
constituents) and the expression of the foundation from which virtually all of mathematics can be derived
18
Category Theory formalizes mathematical structure and its concepts in terms of a labeled directed graph called a category, whose
nodes are called objects, and whose labeled directed edges are called arrows.
19
In algebra, which is a broad division of mathematics, abstract algebra (occasionally called modern algebra) is the study of
algebraic structures which include groups, rings, fields, modules, vector spaces, lattices and algebras.
20
Oxford English Dictionary Online, accessed 2012-04-28 (f.Aristotle, Posterior Analytics 1.2.72a18-b4
21
Oxford English Dictionary Online, accessed 28-04-2012
7
of mathematics, eg algebra; and techniques used by logicians have been borrowed from
mathematics.
We have philosophy of mathematics as the branch of philosophy that is concerned with philosophy
that is concerned with two major questions: one concerning the meanings of ordinary mathematical
sentences and the other concerning the issue of whether abstract objects exist. In other words, the
computer science and computer engineering. Computer Science cannot be dissociated from
philosophy. Branches of philosophy, most especially logic, are relevant to and are constantly
employed in Computer Science. The Recursive Function Theory22, in effect, is the study of the
indifference.Proposition logic is the logic of certain simple types of switching circuits (in Computer
Science). There are close relationship between automata theory and the logical and algebraic study
of formal languages.On the borderline of logic and computer science, mechanical theorem proving
is an interesting topic. The topic is a clear-cut instance of the problems of artificial intelligence,
computers.Recursion occurs when a thing is defined in term of itself or its type. Recursion is used
in a variety of disciplines ranging from linguistics, mathematics, computer science and philosophy.
The most common application of recursion is in computer science where a function being defined
22
The recursive functions which form a class of compatible functions take their name from the process of ‘recurrence’ or
‘recursion’ which consists in defining the value of a function by using other values of the same function
23
From where computers are formulated
24
A heuristic mode of thinking is any approach to problem salving, learning or discovery that employs a practical method not
guaranteed to be optional or perfect, but sufficient for the immediate goals
8
PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION: Philosophy and religion are two autonomous disciplines. The
two has interesting relationship and the two are quite different. However the two meet at a point,
though the meeting point is achieved through different viewpoints. Thus, at its peak, philosophy
becomes the science of God. That is why a branch of philosophy is theodicy. One can thus say that
philosophy and religion have the same material object, i.e. God. However, the difference is the way
in which they achieve the object.Philosophy regards God as the First Efficient Cause of being. God
is the remote cause of that which is.However, philosophy depends solely on human reason to
achieve the ultimate object. Philosophy perceives God.Religion, on the other hand, begins from
divine revelation. God manifests and communicates about himself and gives his decrees through
revelation. Religion achieves God as God himself declares to mankind. Knowledge of God
according to religion is beyond natural capacity of human reasoning; and that the only way to
appreciate knowledge of God is through the faith informing human reasoning. The emphasis is on
The history of the relation between philosophy and religion is a long and mixed affair, clarifying
and providing justification for religion and separating religion from scientific developments.In the
history of Western Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy (ie 5thto 6th Centuries) was the period
following the fall of the Western Roman Empire and was dominated by the rise of Christianity and
the nature of faith and reason, the problem of evil, were discussed in that period. Some key
aid to theology. They sought to align their philosophy with the interpretation of sacred scripture.25
Jewish philosophy and Christian philosophy are religion-philosophical traditions that developed
both in the Middle East and in Europe, which both share certain early Judea texts (e.g. Tanakh) and
monotheistic beliefs.Jewish thinkers such as the Geonimof the Talmudic Academies in Babylonia
25
http://philosophy.wikipedia.com/. Retrieved 5 January, 2018
9
and Maimonides engaged with Greek and Islamic philosophy. Pre-Islamic Iranian philosophy
began with the work of Zoroaster, one of the first promoters of monotheism and of dualism
After the Muslim conquests, early Islamic philosophy developed the Greek philosophical traditions
in new innovative directions. The Islamic Golden Age influenced European intellectual
developments. The two main currents of early Islamic thought were Kalamwhich focused on
Islamic theology and Falsafawhich was based on Aristotelianism and Neoplatonism.The work of
Aristotle was very influential among the falsafa such as al-kindi(9th century), Avicenna (980-June
1037) and Averroes (12th century). Others such as Al-Ghazaliwere highly critical of the methods of
the Aristotelian falsafa. Islamic philosophy also developed a scientific method, experimental
medicine, a theory of optics and a legal philosophy. IbnKhaldun was an influential thinker in
philosophy of history. In Iran, several schools of Islamic philosophy continued to flourish after
theGolden Age and included Sufiphilosophy, among others. The 9th and 20th century Arab World
Philosophy.26
Philosophy of religion deals with questions that involve religion and religious ideas from a
philosophically neutral perspective (as opposed to theology which begins from religious beliefs).27
Traditionally, religions questions were not seen as a separate field from philosophy proper, the idea
of a separate field only arise in the 19th century.28Issues include the existence of God, the
relationship between reason and faith, questions of religious epistemology, the relationship between
religion and science, how to interpret religious experiences, questions about the possibility of an
afterlife, the problem of religions language and the existence of souls and responses to religious
philosophy: http://www.botanical.com/EBchecked/topic/590855/theology/14945/Relationship-to-philosophy
28
Wainwright, W.J, The Oxford Handbook of philosophy of Religion.https://books.google.com/books?id=Gbu Cf9TIDg
COKdg=oxford+handbook+philosophy+ religion
10
In ancient Greece, Anaxagoras, Socrates and some other philosophers criticized aspects of Greek
religion. Some philosophers gave theoretical approaches on the existence and nature of God or the
gods, while some denied existence of the gods.When Christianity came into Greece, attempts were
made to develop a philosophical understanding of the new religion. By the beginning of the 5th
century, Saint Augustine was able to make synthesis of the principles of Christianity with the
elements of Platonic philosophy. In the Middle Ages, some philosophy theologians who were Jews,
Christians and Muslims explained their specific religions in according with rational philosophical
views. However, in contradiction, groups of antirational theologians upheld that religion, a matter
of faith and belief, had nothing to do with rationality, reasons and argument.29
After the Reformation, the traditional philosophical arguments of the theologians were condemned
by Spinoza, Emmanuel Kant, David Hume and a few other philosophers. According to the
philosophers, all the arguments proving the existence of God and the immortality of the soul were
fallacies. Philosophers stated that religious people were non-rational; that they were religious as a
result of economics, psychological or cultural reasons. The philosophers such as Kierkegaard, using
latest scientific and historical researches, criticized religious people.After the World War II, some
theologians who were interested in philosophy attempted to discover what religious principles
Philosophy of religion treats topics such as the concept of God, including special attributes such as
being all-knowing, being all-powerful, and being wholly good; the relation between faith and
reason; the nature of religious language; the relation of religion and morality; and the question of
how God who is wholly good could allow the existence of evil. There is a branch of philosophy
called Natural Theology or Theodicy. Natural theology is the study of God from reasoning as
opposed to from revelation. In other words, natural theology is philosophical theology which is
Philosophy has realized that God, a Supreme Cause,is the only explanation of things which exist
29
Mikamar Publishing: Philosophy’s Relation to Other Disciplines
11
when existence is not part of their nature: that is the climax of philosophy, and it is contrary to the
opinion that philosophers are atheist. Gottfried Leibniz, a German philosopher coined the term
‘theodicy’ in an attempt to justify God’s existence in the light of the imperfection of the world.
Theodicy is an attempt to answer the question of why a good God permits the manifestation of evil.
Theodicy address the evidential problem of evil by attempting to make the existence of an all
knowing, all-powerful and all-good God consistent with the evil or suffering in the world.30Pope
John Paul II was a public religions figure who had a degree in philosophy.
The main difference between philosophy and religion is reasoning on one hand and faith on the
other. However, the difference does not put them ‘ashunder’: there is harmony of the unity between
them. In other words the truth achieved through reasoning is not contradictory to the truth achieved
through faith. If faith is contrary to reasoning, then one would be true and the other would be
with faith.
Another difference between philosophy and religion is their purposes. A philosopher is critical and
a religious person is dogmatic.For religion, the responsibility of reason is to interpret and defend
position. In philosophy, all assumptions, theories, principles are subject to rational criticism,
whereas in religion all the fundamentals and the assumptions should be taken or believed
philosophy, knowledge is for its own sake. A philosopher, rather than being a magician, employs
critical reasoning, neutrality and desire for knowledge to achieve his purposes. A religious person
employs faith, belief, revelation and even magic to achieve his purposes.
PHILOSOPHY AND LAW:The value of philosophy to the lawyer cannot be over emphasized.
Philosophy will help him to reason clearly, to express himself precisely and to put his thoughts
30
Philip A. Pecorino, An Introduction to Philosophy: An Online Textbook (2000)
12
across to his audience firmly. Philosophy will teach him how to detect bad argument and identify
the flaws in it. Philosophy makes a lawyer to notice difference between truth and validity.It is not
enough for a lawyer to master the facts of his case and the applicable legal authorizes. It is also
important for him to present his argument in a logical manner. This is where philosophy comes in
In legal writing, it is not enough for an argument to “make sense” or “get the point across”. A legal
argument must exhibit what, in philosophy is referred to as ‘pristine logic’. In order to exhibit
pristine logic, a legal argument should adhere to the form of the logic syllogism.A syllogism
consists of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion. A major premise usually states a
general principle or rule of law. In legal arguments, this is generally called a statement of law. A
minor premise states a particular fact about the case at hand. In legal arguments, this is usually
called a statement of fact.A conclusion connects the particular statement in the minor premise with
the general one in the major premise, and tells us how the general rule applies to the facts at hand.
In legal arguments, this process is called applying the law to the fact. Learning how to spot and
avoid logical fallacies can enormously strengthen a lawyer’s legal writing and advocacy by helping
him adhere to the pristine logic of correct syllogistic reasoning.Legal reasoning is the particular
method of arguing used when applying legal rules to particular facts among legal persons. Good
legal reasoning requires clear understanding of the legal rules, a good appreciation of the particular
In the practiceof law, one assumes the existence of persons in society who are capable of rational
dispute over responsibility and the importance of comparing the cogency of different models of
governance. Rather than assuming such a ‘common sense’ perspective, if one wants to question
whether any of our perceptions and beliefs about reality are reliable, this would not be a question
for lawyers, but a question that would be addressed in a branch of philosophy which is called
epistemology (i.e. the theory of knowledge).In Legal theory, heuristics31 are used when case-by-
31
Heuristic is any approach to problem solving that employs a practical method not guaranteed to be optimal or perfect, but sufficient
for the immediate goals. Heuristic device is used when an entity X exists to enable understanding of, or knowledge concerning ,
13
case analysis32would be impractical; in so far as ‘practicality’ is define by the interest of a
governing body.
branches and sub-branches of philosophy.Of the great variety of kinds of argumentation used in
law,some are persuasive rather than strictly logical, and others exemplify different procedures in
called the fundamental legal conceptions. The theory is closely related to the philosophical
principle of Deontic Logic34. Value Theory (or axiology) is a branch of philosophy that addresses,
among other topics, justice, and it includes philosophy of law. Philosophy of law (called
jurisprudence) explores the varying theories explaining the nature and the interpretation of laws.U
S Supreme Court Justice,Stephen Brayer, was among public legal luminaries who had degrees in
philosophy.Philosophy of law explores such topics as what law is, what kinds of laws there are,
how law is or should be related to morality, and what sorts of principles should govern punishment
PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIAL SCIENCES:If there exists any discipline in the field of social
sciences that does not have its root in philosophy, it is as good as a trash can.Political philosophy is
the study of government and the relationship of individuals (or families and clans) to communities
including the state. It includes questions about justice, law, property and the rights and obligations
century BCE.Feminist philosophy explores questions surrounding gender, sexuality and the body
including the nature of feminism itself as a social and philosophical movement.The political and
Tolstoy, Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr have been used to shape and justify governments and
their actions. Clauseuntz’s political philosophy of war has had a profound effect on statecraft,
international politics and military strategy in the 20th Century, especially around World War II.
US Vice president candidate, Carly Fiorina, was among public political figures who had degrees in
Philosophy.
Philosophical studies often focus on the meaning of an idea and on its basis, coherence and
relations to other ideas. Consider, for an example, democracy: What is it? What justifies it as a
justification – and limits – of government control of individuals; the meaning of equality before the
law; the basis of economic freedom; and many other problems concerning government, it also
examines the nature and possible arguments for various competing forms of political organization,
such as laissez faire capitalism, welfare democracy, anarchism, communism and fascism.
not have its root in philosophy. However, psychology has been influenced by philosophy.In
psychology, philosophy is employed mostly as a tool of various models using mathematical ideas,
automata ideas or information theory.The laws of thought which is studied in Philosophy can serve
as a conceptual framework for psychological theorizing. In the mid-20th Century, Jean Piaget, a
Swiss psychologist, made a large scale attempt to characterize the developmental stages of a child’s
thought by reference to the philosophical structures that he can master from the laws of thought
concept.Psychology says what is, and philosophy deals with what ought to be. If we go by what
man is by science(evolution), which says that man is as good as an animal, hence taking idea of
survival of the fittest as sacrosanct. But if we have built a peaceful society for ourselves,unlike
animals, it is because of our reasoning faculty to determine what ought to be for the peaceful world.
15
Therefore, we have built a society for ourselves with understanding of these two disciplines –
sense that philosophy seeks to impart knowledge through an acceptable manner to the people,
which is similar to the aim of education. Philosophy employs critical attitude to develop human
knowledge and to establish principles of rational beliefs in human being beings. Philosophy opens
the mined of education practitioners (teachers, educators etc) to allow neutrality and subject their
definition and content of education, as well as goals and challenge facing educators. Progressive
practices. Descendants of this movement include efforts in philosophy for children, which are part
theories, statements and judgment of philosophy with a view to justification of the claim. Teachers
are well developed by philosophy through the use of criticism, neutrality and investigation in order
to deal with educational problems. Therefore, philosophy and education are complimentary and
mutually re-constructive with a view to the child maturation, moral and intellectual development.In
other words, both philosophy and education work together for achievement of benefit the recipients
maximally.
on art, culture and nature35. It addresses the nature of art, beauty, taste, enjoyment etc. It is
sometimes called judgment of sentiment and taste. Its major divisions are art theory, literary theory,
film theory and music theory. An example from art theory is to discern the set of principles
35
Review (http://www.arlisna.org/artdoc/vol18/iss2/01.pdf) by Tom Riedel (Regis University)
16
underlying the work of a particular artist or artistic movement such as the Cubist aesthetic36. The
philosophy of film analyzes films and film makers for their philosophical content and explored film
Distinct African philosophicalideas include Ujamaa37, the Bantu idea of ‘Force’38, Negritude39, pan-
Africanism40 and Ubuntu41.There was the development of the philosophical literature of the African
have been influenced by Marxism, African-American literature, Critical theory, Critical race
theory, neocolonialism, post-colonialism and feminism.Philosophers share some goals with artists
along with historians: the philosophers want to understand where we have come from; along with
However, history of philosophy42 is related to but not the same as the philosophy of history, which
is the theoretical aspect of history, dealing with questions such as the nature of historical evidence
and the possibility of objectivity in history. Hegel’s Lectures on the Philosophy of History
influenced many philosophers to interpret truth in light of history, a view popularity referred to as
Historicism.Public artists who have degrees in Philosophy include comedians Steve Martin and
linguists in the late 1960s, awakened their interest in interrelations of Philosophy and linguistic
36
“aesthetic –definition of aesthetic in English from the Oxford dictionary”:
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/aesthetic. Cubist aesthetic is a book written by Guillaume Apollinaire between 1905
and 1912, published in 1913 illustrated with black and white photographs of works of renowned artists
37
Ujamaa (‘familyhood’ in Swahili) was the concept that formed the basis of Julius Nyerere’s social and economic development
policies in Tanzania afterit gained independencefrom Britain in 1961
38
Bantu Philosophy is a 1945 book written by PlacideTempels which argues that the people of Sub-Saharan Africa have a
distinctive philosophy, and attempts to describe the underpinnings of that philosophy. In his book, Tempels argues that the African
philosophical categories can e identified through the categories inherent to language. The primary metaphysical category in the
thought of Bantu-speaking societies is Force. That is, reality is dynamic, and being is force.
39
Negritude is a framework of critique and literature developed mainly by francophone writers and politicians of the African
diaspora during the 1930s. Negritude disavowed colonialismand argued for the importance of a Pan-African racial identity among
people of African descent worldwide.
40
Pan-Africanism is a worldwide intellectual movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all
people of African descent.
41
Ubuntu (Zulu word) is a term meaning ‘humanity’. It is often translated as ‘humanity towards others’, but is often used un a more
philosophical sense to mean “the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity”.
42
Study of a specific period, individual or school
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theory. It was discovered that certain grammatical problems are closely related to logicians’
concepts and theories. George Lakoff, a US linguist, claimed that there was a near-identity of
linguistics and natural logic. Jerrold J. Katz, a US grammarian-philosopher, and others made
attempt to give a linguistic characterization of some fundamental logic concepts such as analyticity.
Several philosophers and linguists suggested that deep structure, a concept in linguistics, is to be
identified with logical form. Montague, using his intentional logic, drew a sketch of a “universal
grammar”. There is the extensive usage of recursive function theory of philosophy in formal
Philosophy of language has close ties to both epistemology and metaphysics. It treats questions
about language: the nature of meaning, the relations between words and things, the various theories
of language learning and the distinction between literal and figurative uses of language.
CONCLUSION:
Philosophy is the only discipline that investigates everything. It is the only discipline that
challenges everything, even itself. This is the difference between philosophy and other disciplines.
The other disciplines came to form their own discipline over time as they emerged as distinctive
forms of inquiry with their own philosophical theories.Philosophy today may be practised in a way
EXERCISE
cannot teach.
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5. Philosophy and theology are two ……………………………………….
11. The highest degree awarded in the arts and science is …………………………………..
SUGGESTED READING
January 2018
Philosophy of Logic – Logic and other Disciplines/Britannica.com. Retrieved 5th January 2018
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