Chapter One

Logic and Philosophy

1.1 Introduction
Logic is initially emerged and developed within the heart of philosophy. Philosophy is the first
science than man employs to know natural and social realities through the methods of
observation with deep and critical thinking.
Philosophy
The word “philosophy” etymological define us: philo(love) and sophy( wisdom), hence
philosophy is love of wisdom. But functionally it means both the seeking of wisdom (process)
and the wisdom sought (product). Literal meaning therefore, philosophy means love of wisdom
not “love of knowledge”. It is the love exercising one’s curiosity in search for wisdom and
thereby possessing the truth of the world.
Subject of study: philosophy is a social science that attempts to resolve big questions of man
using the resource of logical reasoning. It is the systematic comprehensive and critical study of
those issues, which are greatest concern to man.

In ancient Greek academic tradition, philosophy was simply an integral (combine) science that
embodies all those natural and social studies together indistinguishably. In modern times,
however, philosophy is just one stream of social sciences consisting of five branches of its own:
Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics, Logic and Aesthetics.. Philosophy attempts to sought
solutions for those basic problems that concern the human race, in general. As a science it has
got shape by Plato (428- 348 B.C); albeit the term is already invented by Pythagoras (580-
500B.C).
The following illustration is helpful to know what philosophy is and the area of the studies of
the five branches of philosophy.

1.2 Meaning and definition of philosophy

The word “philosophy” etymological define us: philo(love) and sophy( wisdom), hence
philosophy is love of wisdom. Philosophy as an intellectual activity can be variously defined,
depending on whether the emphasis is placed on its method, its subject-matter or its purpose.
The very first question is of much importance to define and discuss the nature of philosophy.
This inquiry into the nature of philosophy is called “meta-philosophy”. Philosophy is an open-
ended, pioneering discipline, forever opening up new areas of study and new methods of
inquiry. Here we will discuss the meaning of philosophy and try to define philosophy.

That is an important distinction. The pioneers of philosophy were interested in the kind of
knowledge that enables human to live a good life and that kind of knowledge is what we call
“wisdom”. Going by this literal meaning a philosopher is most of the time and at the most of
the place is preoccupied with the search for truth and wisdom. He pays little attention to the
conclusions he searches in cause of his search. His search is endless because the truth is infinite.
He wants to keep himself always engaged in this pursuit of truth rather than its possession.

What philosophy is? This question has baffled the philosophers and thinkers from ancient
times.

Definitions of Philosophy

Philosophy is a critical approach to the human life, all objective events and to all scientific
knowledge, which is the essence of all knowledge, sciences and the human life. Here are some
definitions of philosophy given by famous philosophers:

Philosophy is that which grasps/hold its own era in thought.” — [Hegel]

Philosophy is an interpretation of the world in order to change it.” — [Karl Marx]

“… [Philosophy] is the acquisition of knowledge.”— [Plato]

Philosophy is the science which investigates the nature of being, as it is in itself. — [Aristotle]

Philosophy is a science of sciences. — [Comte]

Philosophy is the science and criticism of cognition. — [Immanuel Kant]

Philosophy in full sense is only man’s thinking.

1.3 Core Branches of Philosophy

Main branches of philosophy

Traditionally, there are five main branches of philosophy. They are:

Metaphysics: it deals with the fundamental questions of reality.

Epistemology: it deals with our concept of knowledge, how we learn and what we can know.

Logic: it studies the rules of valid reasoning and argumentation.

Ethics or moral philosophy: it is concerned with human values and how individuals should act.

Aesthetics or esthetics: it deals with the notion of beauty and the philosophy of art.

The Branches of Philosophy

Western philosophy can be divided into six branches that have assumed various importance’s
over time. Traditionally metaphysics sets the questions for philosophy. Epistemology asks how
we know. Metaphysics, which studies the nature of existence, is closely related to
Epistemology, the study of knowledge and how we know what we do about the world around
us.

Ethics and politics have to do with action and quality of life. Ethics, the study of how individuals
should act, depends on Epistemology, because we need knowledge to make good choices.
Politics studies human interaction. Among Eastern European and continental philosophers,
philosophy tends to be the study of politics.

Aesthetics or value theory has to do with beauty, balance, and harmony. Aesthetics studies the
value of things. Logic has to do with the relations of things. Logic is about the symbolic
representation of language and thought processes. Logic is critical for analytic philosophers,
who are deeply suspicious of ethics, politics, and metaphysics.

Epistemology

The theory of knowledge, from the Greek words episteme (knowledge) and logos
(word/speech/study), is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, origin, scope and
(possibility/study) of knowledge. Dealing with nature, is one of the branches of philosophy. But
before anything is done, the meaning of philosophy should be understood. A philosopher of
religion must be objective. Anyone who is ready to study philosophy should be able to attack
and defend.

Metaphysics

Metaphysics however (derived from the Greek words “meta & physika ") - meaning 'after
physics'. It was the way students referred to a specific book in the works of Aristotle, and it was
a book on First Philosophy. (The assumption that the word means "beyond physics" is
misleading) Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the study of "first
principles" and "being" (ontology). In other Words, Metaphysics is the study of the most
general aspects of reality, pertaining to subjects such as substance, identity, the nature of the
mind, and free will. It is a study of nature, the nature of reality, and the nature of the world in
which humans live.

Logic

Logic (from Classical Greek λόγος (logos), originally meaning the word , or what is spoken , but
coming to mean thought or reason is most often said to be the study of arguments. Logic is the
study of correct reasoning. However the subject is grounded, the task of the logician is the
same: to advance an account of valid and fallacious inference to allow one to distinguish.
Ethics

Ethics is a general term for what is often described as the "science (study) of morality". In
philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is "good" or "right". The Western tradition of ethics is
sometimes called moral philosophy. It’s the study of right and wrong in human endeavors.

Aesthetics

Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that explores the creation and appreciation of beauty
through critical analysis and reflection.

Other Branches

Philosophy of Education: Fairly self-explanatory. A minor branch mainly concerned with what is
the correct way to educate a person. Classic works include Plato's Republic, Locke's Thoughts
Concerning Education and Rousseau's Emile.

Philosophy of History: Fairly minor branch (not as minor as education), although highly
important to Hegel and those who followed him, most notably Marx. It is the philosophical
study of history, particularly concerned with the question whether history (i.e. the universe
and/or humankind) is progressing towards a specific end? Hegel argued that it was, as did
Marx. Classic works include Vico's New Science and Hegel and Marx's works.

Philosophy of Language: Ancient branch of philosophy which gained prominence in the last
century under Wittgenstein. Basically concerned with how our languages affect our thought.
Wittgenstein famously asserted that the limits of our languages mark the limits of our thought.
Classic works include Plato's Cratylus, Locke's Essay, and Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-
Philosophicus.

Philosophy of Law: Also called Jurisprudence. Study of law attempting to discern what the best
laws might be, how laws came into being in the first place, attempting to delimit human laws
from natural laws, whether we should always obey the law, and so on. Law isn't often directly
dealt with by philosophers, but much of political philosophy obviously has a bearing on it.

Philosophy of Mathematics: Concerned with issues such as, the nature of the axioms and
symbols (numbers, triangle, operands) of mathematics that we use to understand the world, do
perfect mathematical forms exist in the real world, and so on. Principia Mathematica is almost
certainly the most important work in this field.

Philosophy of Mind: Study of the mind, attempting to ascertain exactly what the mind is, how it
interacts with our body, do other minds exist, how does it work, and so on. Probably the most
popular branch of philosophy right now, it has expanded to include issues of AI. Classic works
include Plato's Republic and Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, although every major
philosopher has had some opinion at least on what the mind is and how it works.

Philosophy of Politics: Closely related to ethics, this is a study of government and nations,
particularly how they came about, what makes good governments, what obligations citizens
have towards their government, and so on? Classic works include Plato's Republic, Hobbes'
Leviathan, Locke's Two Treatises, and J.S. Mill's On Liberty.

Philosophy of Religion: Theology is concerned with the study of God, recommending the best
religious practices, how our religion should shape our life, and so on. Philosophy of religion is
concerned with much the same issues, but where Theology uses religious works, like the Bible,
as its authority, philosophy likes to use reason as the ultimate authority.

Philosophy of Science: It is the Study of science concerned with whether scientific knowledge
can be said to be certain, how we obtain it, can science really explain everything, does
causation really exist, and can every event in the universe be described in terms of physics and
so on. Also popular in recent times, classic works include Hume's Treatise on Human Nature,
Kripke's Naming and Necessity, Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions.

1.4 Importance of learning logic and philosophy

Logic is the science of how to evaluate arguments and reasoning. Critical thinking is a process of
evaluation that uses logic to separate truth from falsehood, and reasonable from unreasonable
beliefs. If you want to better evaluate the various claims, ideas, and arguments you encounter,
you need a better understanding of basic logic and the process of critical thinking. Logic is not a
matter of opinion: When it comes to evaluating arguments, there are specific principles and
criteria that you should use. If you use those principles and criteria, then you are using logic; if
you aren’t, then you are not justified in claiming to use logic or be logical. This is important
because sometimes people don’t realize that what sounds reasonable isn’t necessarily logical.
This reasoning process—using principals of logic in your reasoning, thinking, and arguments—is
critical to the practice of philosophy.

Philosophy sometimes seems to be pursued without passion as if it were a technical subject like
engineering or mathematics. Although there is a role for dispassionate research, philosophy
must derive from some passion for the ultimate goal: a reliable, accurate understanding of us
and our world. Philosophy has something to say when it comes to science, art, and even
religion—where philosophy provides some useful concepts on objectivity versus subjectivity—
politics, and medicine. Logic is a way of thinking clearly and basing your reasoning on objective
facts that you use in practicing philosophy. “Logic, captain, is the general science of inference.
Deductive logic, in which a conclusion follows from a set of premises, is distinguished from
inductive logic, which studies the way in which premises may support a conclusion without
entailing it.... Aristotle is generally regarded as the first great Earth logician, and Aristotelian
logic dominated the subject on your planet until the 19th century.”

Aristotle is, indeed, the world's first great logician, but the famous thinker is remembered today
primarily as a great Greek philosopher. Aristotle used logic to underpin his philosophy in
developing the method of deductive reasoning and then applied those two concepts to science,
metaphysics, ethics, and politics. Go back far enough, and it's clear that you can't separate
philosophy and logic; you can't have one without the other. Philosophy is based on the idea
that you need to think clearly to grapple with the major (and minor) questions of the universe;
logic is the way to accomplish that Herculean task.