The word "philosophy" comes from the Greek word "Φ ι λ ο σ ο φ?" "α" originally means "love wisdom". Philosophy is an understanding of external things, with a strict logical system, including human beings and the external universe, and it is a world outlook.

As people in the early primitive society, they don't know all kinds of natural phenomena, but they have the ability to think, but they don't have the ability to explore and study. So philosophy exists in the form of religion, which is also the preliminary answer to the question that has not been answered for the time being.

The development of philosophy:

When civilization is progressing slowly, the ability of human beings to explore the unknown is gradually enhanced, people are not limited to thinking, and natural science is gradually gestated in philosophy. The early materials of the four ancient civilizations are limited, leaving no further materials for philosophy. Ancient Greece developed a highly developed civilization, and so did ancient China and ancient India. However, after several twists and turns, ancient Greece and ancient India experienced war and destruction again. However, science finally broke away from philosophy, and philosophy was opposed to another religion that ruled the western world at that time. Today, philosophy, science and religion are still the main ways for human beings to understand the world.

Definition of philosophy

There is no clear definition of philosophy so far. Philosophers have different definitions of philosophy:

British philosopher Russell's definition of philosophy: philosophy, as far as I understand the word, is something between theology and science. Like theology, it contains human thinking about things whose scientific knowledge is uncertain; Like science, it appeals to human reason rather than authority, whether it is traditional authority or inspiration authority. All exact knowledge (according to Russell) belongs to science; All doctrines involving knowledge beyond precision belong to theology. Theology and science are still no man's land, and they are attacked on both sides. This no man's land is philosophy.

Plato pointed out that "SOMA" (surprise) is the symbol of philosophers and the beginning of philosophy. Plato profoundly said: "iris" (rainbow, goddess of rainbow, messenger of Zeus) is the daughter of "thauma" (surprise), and there is nothing wrong with tracing her lineage. "Iris" (rainbow) conveys God's will and gospel to people, and philosophy happens by accident. Under its attention, everything has shed all kinds of secular masks and revealed its true colors. Therefore, it shows that it is a real liberation force.

Aristotle said in Metaphysics: Seeking knowledge is the nature of all people. People began to think philosophically because of surprise. At first, I was surprised by things I didn't understand around me. Later, I moved forward step by step, but I questioned more important things, such as the change of the moon phase, the change of the sun, the moon and the stars, and the generation of everything. A confused and surprised person will realize his ignorance.

Hegel thinks that philosophy is a special thinking movement, and philosophy pursues absoluteness. "Philosophy takes absolute as its object, which is a special way of thinking"-Hegel's Little Logic.

Einstein talked about philosophy in this way: if philosophy is understood as the pursuit of knowledge in the most universal and extensive form, then philosophy can obviously be regarded as the mother of all sciences.

/kloc-Novalis, a famous German romantic poet and short-lived genius in the 0/8th century (1771-kloc-0/8065438) defined philosophy as: philosophy is the mother of all sciences, and the essence of philosophical activities is to go home spiritually. Any activity of looking for spiritual home everywhere with homesickness impulse can be called philosophy.

Feng Youlan put forward his own philosophical definition in A Brief History of Chinese Philosophy: "It is a systematic reflection on life". Both Chinese and foreign philosophy originated from doubt.

After the introduction of western philosophy into China, there has been a debate about whether there is philosophy in China's local culture. People who think that China has philosophy define philosophy as the basic idea about the universe and life. Hu Shi pointed out in the Outline of the History of China's Philosophy: "Anyone who studies important issues in life should fundamentally seek important solutions." This kind of learning is called philosophy.