What is Philosophy?

[EmeraldTiger]

Please help me understand this.

[OldTrees]

"Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. It is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument." (wiki)

The major branches

• Aesthetics
  
  • What is Beauty?
    
  • What is Art?
    
• Epistemology
  
  • What is Truth?
    
  • What is Belief?
    
  • What is Knowledge?
    
• Ethics
  
  • Meta Ethics
    
    • What is goodness?
      
    • How can we tell what is good from what is bad?
      
  • Normative Ethics: What ought one do?
    
  • Applied Ethics: What ought one do in this real world case?
    
• Metaphysics
  
  • What is there?
    
  • What is it like?
    

Some other branches
Logic
Political philosophy
Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of language
Philosophy of religion
"Most academic subjects have a philosophy, for example the philosophy of science, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of logic, the philosophy of law, and the philosophy of history. In addition, a range of academic subjects have emerged to deal with areas that historically were the subject of philosophy. These include physics, anthropology, and psychology." (wiki)

[Rutarete]

I believe a philosophy is a belief or a set of beliefs. I believe philosophy as a category refers to several sets of beliefs.

[OldTrees]

A philosophy is a set of beliefs answering the questions whose investigation defines Philosophy.

[Rutarete]

A philosophy is a set of beliefs answering the questions whose investigation defines Philosophy.

I like this answer.

[EmeraldTiger]

So, It is a way of thinking, feeling and believing based upon what we have experienced?

[Rutarete]

So, It is a way of thinking, feeling and believing based upon what we have experienced?

Precisely.

[EmeraldTiger]

How is analyzing something like in that other thread  a subject of Philosophy?

[OldTrees]

So, It is a way of thinking, feeling and believing based upon what we have experienced?

No. Philosophy is the investigation in pursuit of Wisdom. A philosophy is a current set of answers to the types of questions that define Philosophy.

How is analyzing something like in that other thread  a subject of Philosophy?

Well that gets into one of the minor branches about "What is language?" however it does not do so in a very productive manner.
It could have also splintered of into any of the large Ethics questions.

[Pineapple]

As OldTrees says, the pursuit of wisdom. The who, what, when, where, and why of every question that starts with one of those words, from "Why is there a slice of cake on my table?" to "Why do we exist?"

[Belthus]

In "Philosophy for Laymen," Bertrand Russell gave an insight into the goals of philosophy:

Philosophy has had from its earliest days two different objects which were believed to be closely interrelated. On the one hand, it aimed at a theoretical understanding of the structure of the world; on the other hand, it tried to discover and inculcate the best possible way of life. From Heraclitus to Hegel, or even to Marx, it consistently kept both ends in view; it was neither purely theoretical nor purely practical, but sought a theory of the universe upon which to base a practical ethic.