• The issues addressed by the discipline of philosophy involve principles of logic, explanations of how and why things exist and questions about how one should live. The three branches of study in philosophy include axiology (the study of value - ethics and esthetics), epistemiology (the study of knowledge), and and metaphysics (what is real). http://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/what.shtml Pre-Socratic philosophy was metaphysical in nature. http://www.pbs.org/faithandreason/gengloss/metaph-body.html Philosophy extends to other areas of academics as well, including history, mathematics, education, science and religion. Essential differences in early Western versus Eastern philosophical approaches are discussed below.

• Fast Facts

  1. Word origin: Ancient Greek
  2. Translation: "love of wisdom"the web of belief: The Meaning of Philosophy
  3. Early notable philosopher: Confucius
  4. First appearance in Greece: Theogony, a poem written by Hesiod around 725 BC http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/GREECE/PRES...

• Origins of Western Philosophy

  Western philosophy is said to have originated in Athens, in Ancient Greece. Although there were philosophers before him (e.g. Heraclitus, and Parmenides), it is the work of Socrates that is viewed as laying the foundation for subsequent western philosophical thought.Philosophy Pages: Socrates His work on topics such as beauty, truth, wisdom, courage and justice were documented by his student, Plato, as he wrote nothing down.Washington State University: Socrates

• Eastern Philosophy

  Eastern Philosophy is generally thought of as originating in China or India. Confucius, and the Taoist, Chuang Tse were among the first eastern philosophers.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Confucius The Hindu, Buddhist, and Taoist philosophical traditions predate Socrates by over 200 years.Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Hindu Philosophy

• Eastern vs. Western Philosophy Generalizations

  1. In early Western philosophical thought, God was deemed as creator and King of all that is, and he made the laws of the natural world such as gravity. In Eastern philosophy the universe simply 'is,' humans can derive and organize thoughts about their perceptions, but that is not the underlying basis of observed phenomena.
  2. In Eastern philosophy, symbolic thinking moves one further away from a direct understanding of reality. The Western approach of applying either logic or dogma is its basis for a deeper investigation of reality.
  3. In Western philosophy, verbal or mathematical models of reality are a reflection of truth, whereas in Eastern philosophy verbal models are evaluated on the basis of their effectiveness to reflect reality rather than their inherent truth. http://www.psych.utah.edu/gordon/Classes/Psy4905Docs/PsychHistory/Cards/Eastern.html

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Skepticism | Aristotle | Rene Descartes | Plato | Socrates | John Locke | Voltaire | Psychology | Sociology | Richard Dawkins | Dan Dennett | James Randi | PZ Myers | Immanuel Kant | Karl Marx | Nicolaus Copernicus | How to Become a Motivational Speaker | How to Become a Priest | Ken Wilber | Taoism | Buddhism | Hinduism

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