Definitions of philosophy
Philosophers have defined philosophy according to their knowledge and experiences. A few of them are stated here;
Cicero: “Philosophy is simply the love of wisdom.”
Socrates: “Philosophy begins with wonder.”
Plato: “Philosophy aims at knowledge of eternal nature of things.”
Aristotle: “The study of philosophy aims not at knowing what men feel, but at what is the truth of things”
Cisero: “Philosophy is the matter of all arts and the true medicine of mind.”
Coleridge: “Philosophy is the science of sciences.”
Henderson: “Philosophy is a search for a comprehensive view of nature, an attempt at a universal explanation of nature of things.”
Karl Marx: “Philosophy is an interpretation of the world in order to change it.”
Dr. Radhakrishnan: “It is a logical inquiry into the nature of reality.”
Herbert Spencer: “Philosophy is concerned with everything as a universal science.”
Epictetus: “The essence of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things.”
Abraham Lincoln: “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.”
A few characteristics of philosophy are:
- Philosophy is a living force.
- It is a way of life.
- It is the oldest and original discipline of thought.
- It is a search for truth and reality.
- It is based on inquiry about life and existence.
- It is logical in its approach.
- It is ever growing and developing.