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Do not fill this in! == Etymology == The word ''philosophy'' comes from the [[Ancient Greek]] words {{lang|grc|φίλος}} ({{transl|grc|philos}}) {{gloss|love}} and {{lang|grc|σοφία}} ({{transl|grc|sophia}}) {{gloss|wisdom}}.<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Hoad|1993|p=350}} |2={{harvnb|Simpson|2002|loc=Philosophy}} |3={{harvnb|Jacobs|2022|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Kw9sEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA23 23]}} }}</ref>{{efn|The Ancient Greek ''philosophos'' ('philosopher') was itself possibly borrowed from the [[Ancient Egyptian]] term ''mer-rekh'' (''mr-rḫ'') meaning 'lover of wisdom'.<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Herbjørnsrud|2021|p=123}} |2={{harvnb|Herbjørnsrud|2023|p=X}} }}</ref>}} Some sources say that the term was coined by the [[pre-Socratic]] philosopher [[Pythagoras]], but this is not certain.<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Bottin|1993|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=FJ7UBP_jYeMC&pg=PA151 151]}} |2={{harvnb|Jaroszyński|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=fsZKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA12 12]}} }}</ref> [[File:Doctor Zirkel follows Newton's famous steps under the fabled Wellcome V0011942.jpg|alt=Wood engraving of Isaac Newton under an apple tree|thumb|left|upright=0.75|Physics was originally part of philosophy, like [[Isaac Newton]]'s observation of how [[Isaac Newton's apple tree|gravity affects falling apples]].]] The word entered the English language primarily from [[Old French]] and [[Anglo-Norman language|Anglo-Norman]] starting around 1175 CE. The French {{lang|fr|philosophie}} is itself a borrowing from the Latin {{lang|la|philosophia}}. The term ''philosophy'' acquired the meanings of "advanced study of the speculative subjects ([[logic]], [[ethics]], [[physics]], and [[metaphysics]])", "deep wisdom consisting of love of truth and virtuous living", "profound learning as transmitted by the ancient writers", and "the study of the fundamental nature of [[knowledge]], [[reality]], and [[existence]], and the basic limits of human understanding".<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|OED staff|2022|loc=Philosophy, n.}} |2={{harvnb|Hoad|1993|p=350}} }}</ref> Before the modern age, the term ''philosophy'' was used in a wide sense. It included most forms of [[rational]] inquiry, such as the individual [[sciences]], as its subdisciplines.<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Ten|1999|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=04yBhMdnd3MC&pg=PA9 9]}} |2={{harvnb|Tuomela|1985|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=2Hg9rKafnHsC&pg=PA1 1]}} |3={{harvnb|Grant|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-g26ckhZ21wC&pg=PA303 303]}} }}</ref> For instance, [[natural philosophy]] was a major branch of philosophy.<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Kenny|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=fn9xDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA189 189]}} |2={{harvnb|Grant|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-g26ckhZ21wC&pg=PA163 163]}} |3={{harvnb|Cotterell|2017|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=hpA4DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA458 458]}} |4={{harvnb|Maddy|2022|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6_dQEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA24 24]}} }}</ref> This branch of philosophy encompassed a wide range of fields, including disciplines like physics, [[chemistry]], and [[biology]].<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Grant|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=BxbLDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA318 318]}} |2={{harvnb|Ten|1999|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=04yBhMdnd3MC&pg=PA9 9]}} }}</ref> An example of this usage is the 1687 book ''[[Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica]]'' by [[Isaac Newton]]. This book referred to natural philosophy in its title, but it is today considered a book of physics.<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Cotterell|2017|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=hpA4DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA458 458]}} |2={{harvnb|Maddy|2022|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6_dQEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA24 24]}} |3={{harvnb|Regenbogen|2010|loc=[https://meiner.de/enzyklopadie-philosophie-14071.html Philosophiebegriffe]}} }}</ref> The meaning of ''philosophy'' changed toward the end of the modern period when it acquired the more narrow meaning common today. In this new sense, the term is mainly associated with philosophical disciplines like metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Among other topics, it covers the rational study of reality, knowledge, and values. It is distinguished from other disciplines of rational inquiry such as the empirical sciences and [[mathematics]].<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Grayling|2019|loc=Philosophy in the Nineteenth Century}} |2={{harvnb|Regenbogen|2010}} |3={{harvnb|Ten|1999|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=04yBhMdnd3MC&pg=PA9 9]}} |4={{harvnb|AHD Staff|2022}} }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page