I get asked this question probably the most by the average person. By average person I do not mean to divide groups of people into high, average, and low populations, I just mean more often than not when the topic of philosophy comes up, this question is not too far behind from people I meet.
Philosophy is the study of being.
There you have it! That is as far as I can tell the fewest words in the universe, (or at least an internet search), that answers the question, "What is philosophy?"
If you are still curious, let me guide you and do some philosophy together with the goal of a better understanding what philosophy is by doing it.
The inevitable second question is, "what does the study of being mean?" Here is where the study of philosophy comes in, in that we examine the thing we are talking about. As Socrates pointed out during his bogus trial for "crimes" at Athens, "The unexamined life is not worth living." My response to what the study of being is, is a form of study as if your life depended on it. Like Socrates, I am both a Soldier and a Scholar, and like Socrates, I have had my share of bogus trials. So here is where I will subordinate the term study into two species of examination and study, with examination as the higher form of study - to study a thing as if your life depended on it.
To examine something is something more than to simply study it, it is to study all of it, in this case the being of something. In the previous paragraph we examined instead of study. Now let us examine the latin phrases of examination with Google translate:
All these terms from one English word examination. Three latin terms, 14 English terms, none of them the term study. So if someone is doing philosophy, they are studying a thing to the greatest extent possible to the point that it could be said they are not merely studying the thing, they are examining the thing to the point of interrogation, investigation, and inspection. So here you can see, to merely study something as a philosopher means so much more resolution, like a 1080p television versus an old monochrome cathode ray tube computer monitor.
In the previous paragraph note I used latin translations. We could go way back to ancient Greek, but then we are translating a translation and the terms grow exponentially and becomes unmanageable. Following the lead from Socrates, we examined the term, (being of) study.
Viola! You did your first philosophical work by examination of the being of study!
.jpg)
.jpg)
