# philosophy

Pronunciation: say "fi-LOS-uh-fee" US /fɪˈlɑsəfi/, UK /fɪˈlɒsəfi/

## Noun

1. An academic discipline that seeks truth through reasoning rather than experiment, often explaining general concepts such as existence and rationality.
   - Simple: The study of big questions about life, knowledge, and existence, using careful thinking instead of experiments.
   - _He switched his major from biology to philosophy after one inspiring lecture._
   - _Philosophy and the natural sciences parted ways only a few centuries ago._
2. A set of ideas or a guiding principle about how something should be done or how one should live; an outlook or approach.
   - Simple: The main ideas or rules that guide how a person or group thinks and acts.
   - _The company's design philosophy favors simplicity over flashy features._
   - _Their coaching philosophy rests on discipline and steady, patient practice._
3. A comprehensive system of belief that ties many ideas together into one connected whole.
   - Simple: A whole system of beliefs that explains the world and how to live in it.
   - _Stoicism is a philosophy that teaches acceptance of what we cannot control._
   - _Marxism began as a philosophy before it reshaped governments around the world._
4. The love of wisdom, in the original sense of the word.
   - Simple: The love of wisdom, which is what the word first meant.
   - _For Socrates, philosophy was less a subject to be taught than a lifelong love of wisdom._
   - _Without philosophy, a scholar becomes a collector of facts rather than a seeker of wisdom._
5. A calm and thoughtful manner; steadiness of temper in the face of difficulty.
   - Simple: A calm, steady way of facing trouble without getting upset.
   - _He bore the long delay with philosophy, reading quietly while others fumed._
   - _Grandpa bore the long hospital stay with quiet philosophy, never once complaining._

## Noun

6. A broad branch of pure, non-applied science concerned with understanding nature and its laws. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: The study of nature and its underlying laws, treated long ago as pure science.
8. A size of printing type equivalent to small pica, used especially in French printing. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A small size of printing type, the same as small pica.

## Verb

7. To reason about or discuss fundamental questions in a philosophical manner. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To think or talk deeply about life's big questions.

## Origin

This word came through Middle English philosophie and Old French philosophie from Latin philosophia, which goes back to Ancient Greek φιλοσοφία (philosophía), formed from φίλος (phílos, "loving") plus σοφία (sophía, "wisdom"). It replaced the Old English word ūþwitegung.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/philosophy (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).