Metaphysics
The name 'Metaphysics' is derived from the Greek words 'Meta', which means beyond or after, and 'Physika', which means physics. It is that branch of philosophy which goes beyond the realms of science. It is concerned with answering the questions about identity and the world. It questions the existence of spiritual beings, nature of universe, life after death, etc. Aristotle, one of the most well-known philosophers, acknowledged Thales as the first known metaphysician. His book 'Metaphysics' is one of the prominent works in the branch of philosophy. The main branches of metaphysics are:
Ontology - The study of being or existence
Natural Theology - The study of God and creation
Universal Science - The study of first principles like the law of identity
Epistemology
It deals with the definition of knowledge and its scope and limitations. It translates from Greek to mean 'theory of knowledge'. It questions the meaning of knowledge, how we obtain knowledge, how much do we know, and how do we have this knowledge? Epistemology is further divided into
Alethiology - The study of nature of truth
Formal Epistemology - The use of logic and probability to illuminate problems related to epistemology
Meta-epistemology - Meta-philosophical study of the methods and aim of epistemology
Social Epistemology - The study of social dimensions of knowledge
Epistemology has various theories of justification. Skepticism, internalism, externalism, foundationalism, probability theory, and empiricism, are a few of them. Famous epistemologists like Descartes, Kant and Hume, have made a notable contribution to this branch of philosophy.
Axiology
Axiology is that branch of philosophy which deals with the study of value. The two values studied in axiology are as follows:
Aesthetics
Aesthetics deals with sense, perception, and appreciation of beauty. It broadly includes everything to do with