GENERAL PHILOSOPHY

A. NATURE AND CONCEPT

1. DEFINITION: Philosophy lacks precise definition, as the definitions are so numerous and much
wide apart that rather than make clarifications, more confusion is established.

i. Philosophy as a discipline is too wide for any definition to embrace all the features of
philosophy

ii. Each definition indicates the interest of its author

iii. A philosopher’s notion of philosophy may change from time to time

iv. If the subject matter of philosophy cannot be free from controversies then its definition
cannot escape controversies

Elementary philosophy can be taken to be of two words ‘Philo’ Which means love, while ‘sophia’ means
wisdom. Therefore, philosophy means the ‘Love for wisdom’

Philosophy is mainly concerned with doubt, that is the existing system of thought. Philosophy activity
begins with questions. Therefore, when a philosopher begins philosophizing, he starts asking questions.
Philosophy, therefore, is the study of questions rather than the study of answer.

2. PHILOSOPHY, SCIENCE AND THEOLOGY

Both philosophy and science have impassionate love for the truth and both have attitude of reflecting and

inquiring. While science relies on experimental method, philosophy employ speculative method. While
religion holds the notion that the highest in nature is spiritual and faith is required, philosophy and science
place much premium on knowledge, religion places emphasis on worship.

Philosophy embraces all human knowledge, acquired through the use of man’s natural facilities, and
consists of that knowledge interpreted and systematized by reason. It acquires into the souls and the laws of
thoughts, into intuition and ultimate truth, into substances, and real being into absolute cause, the ultimate
nature of force and will into conscience and duty.

The Holy scriptures, although not designed primarily to teach philosophy yet necessarily presupposed and
involved the fundamental principles of a true philosophy. The philosophy prevalent in every age has always
and will necessarily react upon the interpretation of scripture and the formation of the theological systems.
The devout believer will seek with a docile spirit, to bring his own philosophy into perfect harmony with
that which is implicity contained in the world. He will by all means, seek to realise a philosophy which
prove itself to be genuine and natural handmaid of the religion which the word reveals.

3. EPISTEMOLOGY

I. This is one of the main branches of philosophy. The origin of the Epistemology is an anglicized word
formed from a combination of two Greek words namely episteme and logos. Episteme is synonymous
with the English word “Knowledge” and Logos means discourse, study or reason.” Therefore,
Epistemology is usually transliterated as the theory of knowledge. Philosophers in this field attempt to
discover amongst other things.

1. The means by which knowledge is acquired.

2. The basis of knowledge, the extent of knowledge or what knowledge is

3. The criteria for truth or falsity of knowledge that is, its reliability and validity

II. Some Historical Perspective

It is a common thing for most people to use the word “to know” loosely. When they think or believe
something to be the case, they take it for granted that they know it to be the case. Sometimes what people
think they know for certain turns out to be false. As people think or believe something to be so and so, there
is need for the basis or evidence for the truth or falsehood of the case.

The examination of the basis or evidence for the truth or falsehood of our belief or knowledge led
philosophers to ask questions, raise problems and develop theories of knowledge in the history of human
thought, philosophers tried to find out if we can really know anything in the sense of possessing
information, which when open to question can be found to be true and