Meaning, Scope and Nature of Philosophy

Meaning of Philosophy The word philosophy literally means love of wisdom; It is derived from two Greek words i.e. 'phileo' (love) and 'Sophia' (wisdom).This tells us something about the nature of philosophy, but not much, because many disciplines seek wisdom.Since times immemorial there have been various pursuits for unfolding the mystery of the universe, birth and death, sorrow and joy.Various ages have produced different thoughts throwing light upon the mystic region.The ultimate truth is yet to be found out.This eternal quest for truth 'lends the origin of philosophy.A love of wisdom is the essence for any philosophy investigation.The subject of philosophical inquiry is the reality itself.There are different schools of philosophy depending on the answers they seek to the question of reality.It is the search for understanding of man, nature and the universe.There are different branches of philosophy-Epistemology, Metaphysics, etc.There are different fields of philosophy such as educational philosophy, social philosophy, political philosophy, economic philosophy etc.There are also different philosophical approaches such as idealism, naturalism, pragmatism, materialism, and so on.