Philosophy is Philosophy.

Philosophy is Philosophy.

 

Raymond Smullyan once wrote a book title "What is the name of This Book?" First published in 1978 by Prentice-Hall. It appears to be that Prof. Smullyan wanted to confused his Students and his readers starting right from the title of the book since the book was on logical puzzles.

Now, let's just imagine ourselves going into a bookshop and asking the attendant "do you have a copy of What is the Name of this book?", In a polite manner, I think the attendant will respond by asking, "sorry, sir, what is the name of this book you are looking for? Then you respond again "What is The Name of this Book".

So funny it would seems to be, or at worst create an enemity between you and the attendant who perhaps would be seeing you as a silly and ridiculous person.

In my attempt to simplify the meaning of Philosophy to the beginners and also to confuse a non-philosophers, I have decided to tag this article "Philosophy is Philosophy"

Perhaps this is not quite confusing as Prof. Smullyan title.

To those coming freshly into the Discipline of Philosophy, congratulations, for this title shall help you to appreciate your new family, Philosophy.
The frequently asked questions about Philosophy is Philosophical in nature. This means, before you ask "What is",you have already set up your mind to engage in Philosophical realm or the realm of reasoning.. But what is Philosophy?

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?

Philosophy has different entrance and different exit. It also has no entrance. Most writers begin by noting that Philosophy is a compex Discipline which cannot be define.
On the other side, many sees Philosophy as been relatively definable. This simply shows that Philosophy is Philosophy. It is Philosophy for some persons can define it, it is also Philosophy because some just see it as Philosophy.
This is a clear evidence that perhaps Philosophy can hide itself and only revealed itself to those who are willing to humble themselves and learn.

On the Definition.

The work of Prof. S. I. Udoidem "Understanding Philosophy" has focused discussion on all the broader issues inspiring a revival of interest and a new awareness of the definition of Philosophy. On the whole, attention has been moved from the Etymological approach of the definition of Philosophy to the normative and Metaphilosophical approaches.

Here, more emphasis shall be placed on the Etymological approach.

To start in a more comprehensive way, the term "Philosophy" was coined by Pythagoras from the combination of two Greek words;
1. "Philia" and,
2. "Sophias"
"Philia" is translated in English as  "Love" while "Sophias" means "wisdom". Therefore, literally, Philosophy means "love of Wisdom"
This is considered to be the root or say it, the etymology of the term Philosophy.

Why is it "Love of wisdom" and not mere "Wisdom?"

It would have been proper for Pythagoras to term it wisdom (Sophias) alone instead of the "love of"(wisdom) but Pythagoras considered that it is only the God or gods that were Wise and that the closest the mortals, or human beings could come to wisdom was to love it and not to posses it.
Pythagoras believed that wisdom belong to the gods or God alone. Hence the God(s) are wise and human beings would only "love" wisdom.

In John Terry's Book, "For the Love of Wisdom". Terry puts,
        "... Pythagoras thought that no man could posses wisdom which was the privilege possession only of God, therefore, he said, no man could just call himself "wise". At best he could only call himself a "lover" or a seeker of wisdom...(24)

If Pythagoras Belief was that the gods are the only ones who posses wisdom. It therefore means that for man to get to the point of aquiring a "little" wisdom he must love or seek wisdom from the gods or God.
A lover or seeker of Wisdom  therefore is one who seek or love to comprehend comprehension or understand understanding about the nature of things, and such a lover or seeker of comprehensive knowledge could be seen as a PHILOSOPHER.

If Philosophy was considered by Pythagoras to be the love of wisdom, it therefore stand out to be that the love of wisdom is the love of wisdom and nothing else..

We love or seek to know so that we can be wise. Whenever we want to know, we ask questions like "What?, How?, why? Etc.

The What, how, why questions is to help us understand the role of Philosophy in pioneering quest for systematic knowledge. This is why in all disciplines, Philosophy stand out as Philosophy and no one can cover Philosophy.