fə̇ˈläs(ə)fē, -fi sometimes -äzəf- noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English philosophie, from Old French, from Latin philosophia, from Greek, from phil- + sophia wisdom, from sophos wise + -ia -y
1.
a. : a love or pursuit of wisdom : a search for the underlying causes and principles of reality : investigation , inquiry
philosophy is a natural function of the human mind — Stuart Hampshire
— see first philosophy
b. : a quest for truth through logical reasoning rather than factual observation
every advance in knowledge robs philosophy of some problems which formerly it had — Bertrand Russell
c. : a critical examination of the grounds for fundamental beliefs and an analysis of the basic concepts employed in the expression of such beliefs
the job of philosophy is the study and statement of the logic, informal and formal, of the employment of expressions — V.C.Aldrich
d. : a synthesis of learning
it is the primary aim of philosophy to unify completely … all departments of rational thought — Henry Sidgwick
2.
a. archaic : the study of natural phenomena : physical science — see second philosophy
b. : the study of the principles of human nature and conduct : ethics
c. : a science that comprises all learning exclusive only of technical precepts and practical arts
d. : the coordinate disciplines of sciences and liberal arts exclusive only of medicine, law, and theology
the philosophy of the medieval universities
the academic degree doctor of philosophy
an English bachelor of philosophy
e. : a science that comprises logic, ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, and epistemology
3.
a. : a system of motivating beliefs, concepts, and principles
the philosophy of a culture determines the general pattern of its … institutions — David Bidney
three philosophies contending for dominance in contemporary politics — Times Literary Supplement
the changing philosophy of the courts with regard to many questions — Margaret Nicholson
set the … philosophy and the basic course of the museum — Roger Angell
b. : a basic theory concerning a particular subject, process, or sphere of activity
design philosophy in chemical plants — D.E.Pierce
— usually used with of
philosophy of religion
philosophy of education
the whole philosophy of the bill is to ignore the realities — New Republic
a chance to prove my philosophy of flying the mail — C.A.Lindbergh b.1902
automation is a completely new philosophy of production — John Diebold
4.
a. : the sum of an individual's ideas and convictions : personal attitude
lived by the plain philosophy … do your best, be loyal to your friends, never forget your enemies — Time
every writer has not one but two philosophies — his more or less conscious artistic credo and … his often unconscious vision of life and scheme of values — Max Lerner & Edwin Mims
b. : calmness of temper and judgment befitting a philosopher : mental serenity or equanimity
this is the place that calls out all a composer's self-control; it's a moment for philosophy — Aaron Copland