Philosophy is a quest to learn, to develop new levels of understanding and to ask questions that we have never asked before. It is the clear foundation of science and math, literature and mythology, as well as democracy.
The Athenian philosopher Plato was an important figure of the Ancient Greek world. In his written dialogues he expressed and expanded on the ideas and techniques of his teacher Socrates. The academy he founded was by some accounts the world’s first university and in it he trained his greatest student, Aristotle. Plato’s recurring fascination was the distinction between ideal forms and everyday experience, and how it played out both for individuals and for societies. Another great philosopher, Socrates lived his life in a way that influences the modern world. Socrates was born in 470 BC in Athens and he lived there until he died in 399 BC. Socrates was deeply admired by Plato for his insight and skills with arguments. Socrates started the Socratic method which is asking questions to get to the heart of a subject. This method is to get people thinking. The last of the great Greek philosophers includes, Aristotle. One of the main focuses of Aristotle’s philosophy was the understanding of logic. Aristotle’s objective was to come up with a universal process of reasoning that would allow people to learn every understandable thing about reality.
The branches of philosophy include: logic, which answers the question: “What is good thinking?” Epistemology, the study of knowledge which deals with issues of truth, reason and faith. Metaphysics, the study of the ultimate nature of reality which deals with issues of freedom and the soul. Axiology, the study of values, deals with issues of value in three areas: Ethics, Political Philosophy, and Aesthetics. Ethics is the study of moral principles, which attempts to establish rational grounds for good conduct. Social and Political Philosophy is the study of the judgments operative in civil society. Aesthetics, the study of the nature, works of art and the aesthetic experience.
Between philosophy and science, the connection is clear. Philosophy asks the questions and science answers them. However, can there be an answer without a question? No there can’t. In addition, the conclusions of science cannot be more certain than the philosophical principles on which science is based on. Nobody would want anything less than what we have. Philosophy has brought these things, things like computers, ships etc. it makes sense that philosophy is the Greek contribution that should be carried on into the future. Between philosophy and literature, there is a less clear connection. However, philosophy and literature work together to “challenge [claims] through the assortment of lively essays and notes, all written in jargon free form.” Philosophy and Literature at Stanford asks, “What is so fascinating about works like Plato's dialogues? Can philosophy and literature, in such combinations, achieve more than the sum of the two parts? Can philosophical approaches account for the specific power of literary works, even those that are not overtly philosophical?” These questions explain that the themes present in literature are philosophical, that the themes present in literature all have a basis of moral or ethical lessons. Lastly, the connection between philosophy and democracy, according to Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Ancient political philosophy is understood here to mean ancient Greek thought excluding the rise of Christian ideas about politics during that period. It encompasses reflections on the origin of political institutions, the concepts used to interpret and organize political life such as justice and equality, the relation between the aims of ethics and the nature of politics, and the relative merits of different constitutional arrangements or regimes.” Democracy can’t survive without philosophy, as a matter of fact, none of these cultural contributions can.
Philosophy is defined as a theory or attitude held that acts as a guiding principle. Believing in a God works for some people, believing in science works for others. Plenty of people turn to religion and become much more stable in life. But at the same time both science and religion have destroyed many people (Think nuclear weapons and religious wars). So we say "Hey science works! We can now kill millions of people with this bomb!" What is science really? What has it become? Is it right for us to scientifically engineer the means to take lives? The chief philosophical questions are those that grow up without leaving home, important questions that remain unanswered when all the facts are in. Moral questions are the prime example. No factual discovery could ever answer the question what is right or wrong. But that does not mean that moral questions are empty questions or pseudo-questions. We can think better about them and can even have more informed debates by learning new facts. The scientific method is a crucial part of science and the scientific method is basically an approach to making sense of the world that seeks to break the hold of superstition and myths, which is essentially the principles of philosophy. Another example of philosophy in science would be the Hippocratic Oath, which states the ethics that medical practitioners work and live by. A large part of the reason science works as well as it does, is that it has an underlying philosophy. What is that? In the most general terms, it's the study of the assumptions, foundations and methods that science is based upon, and what the implications of scientific inquiry and discovery might be.
I don’t believe that literature introduces the questions philosophers ask, however I do believe that philosophy introduces the themes that are present in literature and dramatic works. Philosophy provides us with moral guidelines that literature uses, it is definitely not the other way around. What would a story be without ethics? What would a story be without a moral? If you go online and you search up the philosophy of literature, the philosophy of science, the philosophy of democracy, even philosophy of fishing, many links will come up, why is this? It’s because philosophy is the foundation of every single thing that we have. Philosophy is a systematic way of asking questions, it is the only thing that questions and questions until we get the final answer. Regular people don’t ask questions this way, they find the easiest and simplest answer and just use that. That simple answer isn’t the truth, the truth of a subject is what philosophy intends to find.
The benefits that philosophy provides us with are countless, but here are just a few, studying the questions philosophy provides us with liberates us from prejudice. It helps us to think independently, and promote self-government (democracy). It broadens our perspective on life. As well as providing us with the ability to think logically, to analyze situations and to solve problems. The study of philosophy benefits us intellectually, spiritually, and morally. Through philosophy we can learn that there is a remarkable connection between people from different times and places.