Philosophy is one of the most difficult fields of knowledge to define. This means that, throughout history, there have been many thinkers who have set themselves the task of putting words to this very abstract concept.

Perhaps less difficult is to delimit the different branches of philosophy in order to, by specifying more what each one is about, have a better global vision of both this discipline and the philosophers who dedicate themselves to it.

Main branches of philosophy

Bearing in mind that everything we think we know can be questioned in a thousand different ways, and that any kind of belief we have, however deeply rooted it may be, is in danger of being challenged by philosophy, it is interesting to know what are the different sides through which the task of philosophers can serve for us to learn, leaving behind outdated ideas.

We will then review the different branches of philosophy, which together are evidence of the extent to which this is a varied and prolific activity, as well as the different thinkers who stood out in each of them.

1. Epistemology

Epistemology focuses on the study of the way in which human beings generate knowledge from our reflections and our relationship with the environment.

It is a question of examining both the validity of the conclusions we reach, taking into account both the initial data and the methodology used, but also considering the social and historical context in which the hypotheses and questions to be answered arise.

Epistemology has existed for many centuries, since the Renaissance, and among its most famous representatives are historical figures such as René Descartes, David Hume or John Locke.

2. Philosophy of Logic

The philosophers belonging to this field are dedicated to studying logical systems , their qualities and coherence, as well as the way in which they allow knowledge to be extracted. Moreover, it is now closely related to the fields of computer engineering.

Kurt Gödel, Aristotle or Charles Sanders Peirce are some of the thinkers who stood out in this discipline.

3. Ethics

Ethics is the branch of philosophy that examines the ways in which we can establish what is morally correct and what is not. Virtually everyone acts according to a morality, but very few people ask themselves questions in a systematic way to examine the extent to which their scales of values and their application of morality are correct.

Socrates, Plato or Thomas Aquinas are examples of this type of philosopher.

4. Aesthetics

This is the branch of philosophy that focuses on the study of the perception of beauty , inside and outside the forms of expression of art, and whether it is a visual perception or not. Although they did not devote themselves solely to this branch, both Martin Heidegger, Plato and Denis Diderot worked in this field.

5. Philosophy of science

This is the branch of philosophy that examines both the nature of science and the extent to which it is applied in practice to obtain valid and reliable knowledge.

Its appearance dates from the end of the 1920s, when emerged from epistemology starting with the Vienna Circle . Among the most outstanding thinkers in this field are Rudolf Carnap, Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn.

6. Ontology

Ontology is the branch of philosophy dedicated to investigating the existence of phenomena. This does not only imply asking what exists and what does not, but also considering in what sense things exist : is a crocodile the same as the concept of a dragon, the latter only existing in fiction ?

Some of the philosophers who stood out in this field were Plato, Aristotle, Georg Hegel, Gottfried Leibniz and George Berkeley.

7. Political Philosophy

The thinkers dedicated to this tradition are dedicated to thinking and researching about the concepts and the logics behind political ideologies, social movements and the value systems that underlie political and economic proposals.

Montesquieu, Adam Smith, Max Stirner, Karl Marx, Simone de Beauvoir or Thomas Hobbes are some of the most important thinkers in this branch.

8. Philosophy of Language

This branch of philosophy focuses its inquiries on the nature of language and the type of information exchange that takes place through its daily or institutional use. In addition, it can serve as a support to the plots of science dedicated to understanding our practical use of language.

Ferdinand de Saussure or Ludwig Wittgenstein are examples of thinkers who were interested in this area.