Branches of philosophy

To give a thorough list of the main branches of philosophy is difficult, because there have been dissimilar, equally acceptable divisions at different times, and the division are often relative to the concern of a particular period. However, the following branches are usually established as the main ones.

* Metaphysics investigate the nature of being and the world. Usual branches are cosmology and ontology.

* Epistemology is concerned with the nature and scope of awareness, and whether knowledge is achievable. Among its central concern has been the challenge posed by skepticism and the relationships among truth, belief and justification.

* Ethics, or 'moral philosophy', is concerned with questions of how persons ought to act or if such question are answerable. The major branches of ethics are meta-ethics, normative ethics and applied ethics.

* Political Philosophy is the study of government and the association of individuals and communities to the state. It includes question about law, property, and the rights and obligation of the citizen.

* Aesthetics deal with beauty, art, enjoyment, sensory-emotional values, perception, and matters of taste and response.

* Logic deals with pattern of thinking that lead from true premises to true conclusion. Beginning in the late 19th century, mathematicians such as Frege began a mathematical action of logic, and today the subject of logic has two broad divisions are mathematical logic and what is now called philosophical logic.

* Philosophy of Mind deals with the natural world of the mind and its relationship to the body, and is typified by disputes among dualism and materialism. In recent years there is an increasing link between this branch of philosophy and cognitive discipline

* Philosophy of language is the reasoned query into the nature, origins, and usage of language.

Most studious subject has a philosophy, for example the philosophy of science, the philosophy of mathematics, and the philosophy of history. In addition, a range of academic subject has emerged to deal with areas which would have in history been the subject of philosophy. These comprise Psychology, Anthropology and Science.