philosophy
EnglishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
- philosophie (obsolete)
- phylosophie (obsolete)
- phylosophy (nonstandard)
EtymologyEdit
From Middle English philosophie, Old French philosophie, and their source, Latin philosophia, from Ancient Greek φιλοσοφία (philosophía), from φίλος (phílos, “loving”) + σοφία (sophía, “wisdom”). Synchronically, philo- + -sophy. Displaced native Old English ūþwitegung.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
philosophy (countable and uncountable, plural philosophies)
- (uncountable, originally) The love of wisdom.
- (uncountable) An academic discipline that seeks truth through reasoning rather than empiricism.
- Philosophy is often divided into five major branches: logic, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and aesthetics.
- 1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond
- During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant […]
- (countable) A comprehensive system of belief.
- (countable) A view or outlook regarding fundamental principles underlying some domain.
- a philosophy of government; a philosophy of education
- (countable) A general principle (usually moral).
- 2012, Francesca Valensise, From Building Fabric to City Form: Reconstruction in Calabria at end of Eighteenth Century[1], Gangemi Editore spa, →ISBN, page 8:
- As a matter of fact the Enlightment culture was based on a philosophy inspired to an ethical laicism whose aim was to create a better society based on principles such as solidarity, equality of rights and duties, and full freedom.
- (archaic) A broader branch of (non-applied) science.
- A calm and thoughtful demeanor; calmness of temper.
- (printing, dated) Synonym of small pica (especially in French printing).
MeronymsEdit
- See also Thesaurus:philosophy
Derived termsEdit
- analytic philosophy
- antiphilosophy
- astrophilosophy
- biophilosophy
- continental philosophy
- counterphilosophy
- cyberphilosophy
- Doctor of Philosophy
- ecophilosophy
- ethnophilosophy
- foolosophy
- geophilosophy
- metaphilosophy
- moral philosophy
- natural philosophy
- neurophilosophy
- nonphilosophy
- perennial philosophy
- personal philosophy
- philosophize
- philosophylike
- philosophy of mind
- philosophy of science
- physiophilosophy
- pseudophilosophy
- psychophilosophy
- religiophilosophy
- sociophilosophy
- speculative philosophy
- theophilosophy
Related termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
the pursuit of wisdom
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academic discipline
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comprehensive system of belief
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view regarding fundamental principles
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general principle
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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VerbEdit
philosophy (third-person singular simple present philosophies, present participle philosophying, simple past and past participle philosophied)
- (now rare) To philosophize.
- 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:
- Plato hath (in my seeming) loved this manner of Philosophying, Dialogue wise in good earnest, that therby he might more decently place in sundry mouthes the diversity and variation of his owne conceits.
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- Douglas Harper (2001–2021), “philosophy”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- “philosophy” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
Further readingEdit
- "philosophy" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 235.