What Are Philosophical Issues?
LIZ FRAZIER
CLASS
Philosophical issues are the topics and questions raised by the study of philosophy. There are several branches of philosophy, and in all of them, the search for answers often leads to more questions.
1 Metaphysics
Metaphysics is concerned with the nature of reality. What is matter? How do time and change affect matter? Is there a soul? Of what is the soul made? How are the soul and the body connected?
2 Epistemology
This branch is focused on how, if at all possible, do human beings gain knowledge. How do our senses work? What role does perception play in knowledge? How is memory structured?
3 Ethics
Ethics is the study of right and wrong. This leads to questions of who should be responsible for determining right and wrong. Is morality objective or does it vary with each situation? If human beings have free will, are they capable of determining right and wrong? If they don't, does it even matter, since we don't have control of our actions?
4 Political Philosophy
Political philosophy is traditionally concerned with questions about the good life. What is the best life to be lived, for the person living it? How does one live this life with others (in society)? What is the proper relationship between man and the state?
5 Aesthetics
Aesthetics is the study of value in art. How is beauty determined? Is art primarily a intellectual or representational activity? Is there an objective standard of art? What role does mathematics play in art? In the value of beauty?
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