philosophy
What is the linguistic origin of the word ‘philosophy’?
What are some major systems of non-Western philosophy?
Which branches are part of Western philosophy?
What are some major schools in Western philosophy?
philosophy, (from Greek, by way of Latin, philosophia, “love of wisdom”) the rational, abstract, and methodical consideration of reality as a whole or of fundamental dimensions of human existence and experience. Philosophical inquiry is a central element in the intellectual history of many civilizations.
Conventional accounts of historical and existing philosophical systems generally distinguish between Western philosophy—encompassing the philosophical problems, methodologies, and theories originating in Europe and developed there and in the Americas—and Eastern (or non-Western) philosophy—a wide range of systems originating and developed in eastern and southern Asia, including Japan, Korea, China, and India. Some historians also understand Eastern philosophy to encompass philosophical traditions from the Middle East, including Arabic (or Islamic) philosophy and Jewish philosophy. Both of those schools, however, contributed significantly to the development of Western Scholasticism. In our outline of philosophy below, Arabic and Jewish philosophy are classified as Western.
Both Eastern and Western philosophy are treated in a number of Britannica articles.
Eastern philosophy
Major systems of Eastern philosophy are discussed in
- Shintō, and
The lives and work of major Eastern philosophers are discussed in
- Xunzi, and
Western philosophy
The history of Western philosophy is naturally discussed in Western philosophy.
Philosophies associated with major religious traditions of the West are discussed in
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The major branches of Western philosophy are discussed in
The major schools, movements, and systems in Western philosophy are discussed in
- Stoicism, and
The lives and work of eight major Western philosophers are discussed in
- Key People:
- Aristotle
- Socrates
- Plato
- Confucius
- Francis Bacon
- Epicurus and Epicureanism
And the lives and work of other major Western philosophers are discussed in
- Bernard Williams, and