Chapter 3: Philosophy Per Se—Definitions, Etymology, Branches, History, Geography, Paradigms, and Applications In Samuel Sarri’s Homer to Hume, an introductory textbook to Western Philosophy, Sarri begins his text by introducing the reader to the etymology of, definitions pertaining to, branches within, schools of, and some of the vast applications of philosophy. This introductory chapter not only informs the reader of what material and geographical region the text will focus on, but also introduces the terminology and their derivatives, which will be used throughout the text. Sarri introduces the traditional philosophic areas of study: logic, ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, and aesthetics. Sarri (2014) begins his text by defining philosophy…show more content… 46). I can imagine someone questioning his or her understanding of God and attempting to investigate whether there is a God. Sarri (2014) also introduces epistemology as the theory, study, or science of knowledge that focuses on the nature, scope, or origin of knowledge (p. 47). Instead of just questioning and investigating all things, epistemology emphasizes knowledge such as facts and information.
Aesthetics, another study of philosophy focuses on the study of art and beauty. To philosophers in the east and west, aesthetics is an empirical approach in studying the arts, nature, and culture. Aesthetics makes me think of my major—psychology—because many have argued that psychology is not a real, hard science. Psychologists have worked hard to make psychology as scientific as possible; experiments follow a scientific method, empirical evidence from our sensory experience is used in experiments. Experiments are also