History of Western Philosophy
Historically, western philosophy began in Greece. The word philosophy is even derived from the Greek language and means “love of wisdom.” Ancient western philosophy had three main branches: ethics, logic, and physics. These three branches have now broken into even smaller sub-sections, covering everything from epistemology to aesthetics. Socrates was a large influence on western philosophy, but there was a pre-Socratic era that covered philosophical topics.
As philosophy advanced, many of the pre-Socratic answers for these questions were rejected, although most philosophers still researched the same questions. Christianity helped to abolish the thoughts of ancient philosophers and ushered in the era of medieval philosophy, which boasted both Aristotle and Plato. After medieval philosophy the thinkers of the Renaissance were introduced, followed by more modern and contemporary philosophy.
History of Eastern Philosophy
Eastern philosophy has its roots in religion, specifically the Abrahamic religion. This makes eastern philosophy more concerned with asking questions about God and how the world relates to God. The eastern world is sometimes considered to be the home of religious philosophy, although these philosophers also deal greatly with transcendentalism. Some of the most notable eastern philosophers are Buddha, Confucius, and Zhang Zi.
The way eastern philosophers created theories on knowledge and