Philosophy

=== General conception ===
The practice of philosophy is characterized by several general features: it is a form of rational inquiry, it aims to be systematic, and it tends to critically reflect on its own methods and presuppositions.<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Audi|2006|loc=[https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/philosophy/philosophy-terms-and-concepts/philosophy Lead Section, § Conclusion]}} |2={{harvnb|Quinton|2005|p=702}} |3={{harvnb|Regenbogen|2010|loc=[https://meiner.de/enzyklopadie-philosophie-14071.html Philosophiebegriffe]}} |4={{harvnb|EB Staff|2023a}} |5={{harvnb|OUP Staff|2020}} |6={{harvnb|Adler|2000}} }}</ref> It requires attentively thinking long and carefully about the provocative, vexing, and enduring problems central to the human condition.{{sfn|Perry|Bratman|Fischer|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0ndAAQAAIAAJ 4]}}

The philosophical pursuit of wisdom involves asking general and fundamental questions. It often does not result in straightforward answers but may help a person to better understand the topic, examine their life, dispel confusion, and overcome prejudices and self-deceptive ideas associated with common sense.<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Russell|1912|p=91}} |2={{harvnb|Blackwell|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=rRrfO14H5i0C&pg=PA148 148]}} |3={{harvnb|Pojman|2009|page=2}} |4={{harvnb|Kenny|2004|p=xv}} |5={{harvnb|Vintiadis|2020|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=t8P4DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT137 137]}} }}</ref> For example, Socrates stated that "[[the unexamined life is not worth living]]" to highlight the role of philosophical inquiry in understanding one's own existence.{{sfn|Plato|2023|loc=[https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/plato/dialogues/benjamin-jowett/text/apology#apology-text Apology]}}{{sfn|McCutcheon|2014|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=vpzCBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA26 26]}} And according to [[Bertrand Russell]], "the man who has no tincture of philosophy goes through life imprisoned in the prejudices derived from common sense, from the habitual beliefs of his age or his nation, and from convictions which have grown up in his mind without the cooperation or consent of his deliberate reason."<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Russell|1912|p=91}} |2={{harvnb|Blackwell|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=rRrfO14H5i0C&pg=PA148 148]}} }}</ref>