My name is Heavenly T. Gabatan.

I am 21 years old and a 2 nd year student taking up Bachelor of

Arts in Political Science at the University of San Jose-Recoletos.

The philosopher that I look up to is none other than Socrates, the Father of Western Philosophy.
He is one of the most famous figures in the world history because of his great contributions to the
development of ancient Greek philosophy, which provided the foundation of Western Philosophy.
“Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them
down.” This is a quote from Socrates that captivated me the most. This is because not everyone around
you is genuine and not everyone who laughs and hangs with you is a real friend. There are some people
who act differently when you’re not around. Sometimes, you need to let them miss you. Only then will
you see the real ones, who will search and come to you when they truly miss your presence. Moreover,
you need to put walls in order to see who really loves you and who treasures your existence. You don’t
need to be together all the time, but what keeps you connected from each other is the special bond that
you have in your relationship. You may know a lot of people, but not all of them are sincere and pure.
Time passes, and you begin to figure out what kind of person they are. You may have a few or even just
a single person who chooses to be with you, but quantity doesn’t matter for as long as both of you are
keeping the most precious gem in the world: your true friendship. Nothing beats a genuine person in
your life, even countless people who you may know but are not there for you. I speak from personal
realizations when I say these, and this is why this piece of wisdom from Socrates is something that I live
by.
 Each of us subscribe to our own philosophical thoughts, regardless if these are known or
undiscovered. This is because we have different opinions, thoughts, perspectives, and views. To begin,
let us define first what is philosophy. This word literally means love of wisdom. As such, it is the study of
ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life, and so much more. Further, philosophy
helps us to better understand who we are, why we are here, and where we are going.

In relation to this subject, ethics is known as moral philosophy and often referred to as the study
of morality. It is also the study of right and wrong in human endeavors. Aside from ethics, there are
other branches of philosophy that covers a lot of ground as well, just like other complex fields of study
that contain a multitude of classifications. Here are these branches and their definitions:

Metaphysics derived from the two Greek words meta and phisika. Meta means beyond or after
while physika means physical or nature. It is the study of the nature of reality. It analyzes whether
everything is material, and if life, energy, and mind are its different manifestations. It is a branch of
philosophy that is responsible for the study of existence and the foundation of a worldview.

Epistemology comes from the Greek word episteme which means knowledge. It is often
referred to as the theory of knowledge or the nature of knowledge. It delves into the definition, scope,
and parameters of knowledge and knowledge formation. It seeks to explain how we acquire knowledge,
how knowledge relates to notions like justification, truth and belief, and how and where it falls in the
spectrum of certainty and error. It is required in order to be able to determine the true from the false,
by determining a proper method of evaluation.

Logic studies reasoning. It teaches us how to differentiate between good and bad reasoning and
how to construct valid arguments. It examines ideas in an orderly and systematic manner. Logic is one of
the primary tools philosophers use in their inquiries, since the precision of logic helps them to cope with
the subtlety of philosophical problems and the often misleading nature of conversational language.

Aesthetics comes from the Greek word aisthetikos which means sensitive or perspective. It
refers to the study of everything related to beauty, art, and good taste. This includes how we define art,
how we feel when viewing art or witnessing beauty, how we judge works of art, and how we form our
taste.

Politics or Political Philosophy tells how a society must be set up and how one should act within
a society. It examines various concepts related to politics, government, laws, liberty, justice, rights,
authority, state, and even ethics (ethical ruling). It discusses how states should be built and run and how
its constituents should act.

To narrow down to the aims of the discussion of philosophy, it was broken into branches. There
are still other branches of philosophy as it is covered in a wider scope. Philosophy of Education, History,
Language, Mathematics, Mind, Religion, and Science are the other branches of philosophy. Each branch
has its own beliefs and how they depict life, its meaning and purpose.

In conclusion, philosophy also has a contribution on what we ought to do to have a quality of

life.
References

Camacho, K. (2018). The 8 Branches of Philosophy. Retrieved from StuDocu:

https://www.studocu.com/en-us/document/miami-dade-college/introduction-to-philosophy/
lecture-notes/the-8-branches-of-philosophy/3102984/view

Casapao, D. (n.d.). 5 Branches of Philosophy. Retrieved from Academia:

https://www.academia.edu/10735657/5_Branches_of_Philosophy?
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Kapambwe, W. (2011, March 10). What is philosophy presentation. Retrieved from SlideShare:
https://www.slideshare.net/wmkapambwe/what-is-philosophy-presentation

Pujanes, K. M. (2020, April 8). Philosophy 101: The Six Branches of Philosophy. Retrieved from The
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branches-of-philosophy/

Tidalgo, L. A. (2019). Branches of Philosophy. Retrieved from StuDocu:

https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/university-of-san-carlos/bachelor-of-science-and-
accoutancy/lecture-notes/branches-of-philosophy/5638109/view

What is Philosophy? (2015, May 24). Retrieved from Know-It-All:

https://empoweryourknowledgeandhappytrivia.wordpress.com/2015/05/24/what-is-
philosophy/