Hope you guys/gals like to read this.this will give you a brief knowledge about western philosophical approaches.First just read this later we can go deeper.
Aesthetics
This is the study of beauty and taste, whether in the form of the comic, the tragic, or the sublime. The word comes from the Greek aisthetikos, "of sense perception." Aesthetics has traditionally been part of other philosophical fields like epistemology or ethics but it started to come into its own and become a more independent field under Immanuel Kant.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_epist_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_epist_index.htm
Epistemology
Epistemology is the study of the grounds and nature of knowledge itself. Epistemological studies usually focus upon our means for acquiring knowledge; thus modern epistemology generally involves a debate between rationalism and empiricism, or the question of whether knowledge can be acquired a priori or a posteriori.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_eth_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_eth_index.htm
Ethics
Ethics is the formal study of moral standards and conduct and is also often called "moral philosophy." What is good? What is evil? How should I behave - and why? How should I balance my needs against the needs of others? These are some of the questions asked in the field of ethics.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_logic_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_logic_index.htm
Logic and the Philosophy of Language
These two fields are often treated separately, but they are close enough that they are presented together here. Logic is the study of methods of reasoning and argumentation, both proper and improper. The Philosophy of Language involves the study of how our language interacts with our thinking.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_meta_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_meta_index.htm
Metaphysics
In Western philosophy this field has become the study of the fundamental nature of all reality - what is it, why is it, and how are we to understand it. Some only regard metaphysics as the study of "higher" reality or the "invisible" nature behind everything, but that isn't actually true. It is, instead, the study of all of reality, visible and invisible.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_ed_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_ed_index.htm
Philosophy of Education
This field deals with how children should be educated, what they should be educated in, and what the ultimate purpose of education should be for society. This is an often neglected field of philosophy and is often addressed only be in educational programs designed to train teachers - in that context, it is a part of pedagogy, which is learning how to teach.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_hist_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_hist_index.htm
Philosophy of History
The Philosophy of History is a relatively minor branch in the field of philosophy, focusing on the study of history, writing about history, how history progresses, and what impact history has upon the present day. This is can be referred to as the Critical, Analytical, or Formal Philosophy of History, as well as the Philosophy of Historiography.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_mind_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_mind_index.htm
Philosophy of Mind
The relatively recent specialty known as Philosophy of Mind deals with the consciousness and how it interacts with the body and the outside world. It asks not only what mental phenomena are and what gives rise to them, but also what relationship they have to the larger physical body and the world around us.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_relig_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_relig_index.htm
Philosophy of Religion
Sometimes confused with theology, the Philosophy of Religion is the philosophical study of religious beliefs, religious doctrines, religious arguments and religious history. The line between theology and the philosophy of religion isn't always sharp because they share so much in common, but the primary difference is that theology tends to be apologetical in nature, committed to the defense of particular religious positions, whereas Philosophy of Religion is committed to the investigation of religion itself rather than the truth of any particular religion.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_sci_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_sci_index.htm
Philosophy of Science
This is concerned with how science operates, what the goals of science should be, what relationship science should have with society, the differences between science and other activities, etc. Everything that happens in science has some relationship with the Philosophy of Science and is predicated upon some philosophical position, even though that may be rarely evident.
Political and Legal Philosophy
These two fields are often studied separately, but they are presented here jointly because they both come back to the same thing: the study of force. Politics is the study of political force in the general community while jurisprudence is the study of how laws can and should be used to achieve political and social goals.
Aesthetics
This is the study of beauty and taste, whether in the form of the comic, the tragic, or the sublime. The word comes from the Greek aisthetikos, "of sense perception." Aesthetics has traditionally been part of other philosophical fields like epistemology or ethics but it started to come into its own and become a more independent field under Immanuel Kant.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_epist_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_epist_index.htm
Epistemology
Epistemology is the study of the grounds and nature of knowledge itself. Epistemological studies usually focus upon our means for acquiring knowledge; thus modern epistemology generally involves a debate between rationalism and empiricism, or the question of whether knowledge can be acquired a priori or a posteriori.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_eth_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_eth_index.htm
Ethics
Ethics is the formal study of moral standards and conduct and is also often called "moral philosophy." What is good? What is evil? How should I behave - and why? How should I balance my needs against the needs of others? These are some of the questions asked in the field of ethics.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_logic_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_logic_index.htm
Logic and the Philosophy of Language
These two fields are often treated separately, but they are close enough that they are presented together here. Logic is the study of methods of reasoning and argumentation, both proper and improper. The Philosophy of Language involves the study of how our language interacts with our thinking.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_meta_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_meta_index.htm
Metaphysics
In Western philosophy this field has become the study of the fundamental nature of all reality - what is it, why is it, and how are we to understand it. Some only regard metaphysics as the study of "higher" reality or the "invisible" nature behind everything, but that isn't actually true. It is, instead, the study of all of reality, visible and invisible.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_ed_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_ed_index.htm
Philosophy of Education
This field deals with how children should be educated, what they should be educated in, and what the ultimate purpose of education should be for society. This is an often neglected field of philosophy and is often addressed only be in educational programs designed to train teachers - in that context, it is a part of pedagogy, which is learning how to teach.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_hist_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_hist_index.htm
Philosophy of History
The Philosophy of History is a relatively minor branch in the field of philosophy, focusing on the study of history, writing about history, how history progresses, and what impact history has upon the present day. This is can be referred to as the Critical, Analytical, or Formal Philosophy of History, as well as the Philosophy of Historiography.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_mind_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_mind_index.htm
Philosophy of Mind
The relatively recent specialty known as Philosophy of Mind deals with the consciousness and how it interacts with the body and the outside world. It asks not only what mental phenomena are and what gives rise to them, but also what relationship they have to the larger physical body and the world around us.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_relig_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_relig_index.htm
Philosophy of Religion
Sometimes confused with theology, the Philosophy of Religion is the philosophical study of religious beliefs, religious doctrines, religious arguments and religious history. The line between theology and the philosophy of religion isn't always sharp because they share so much in common, but the primary difference is that theology tends to be apologetical in nature, committed to the defense of particular religious positions, whereas Philosophy of Religion is committed to the investigation of religion itself rather than the truth of any particular religion.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_sci_index.htm
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/phil/blphil_sci_index.htm
Philosophy of Science
This is concerned with how science operates, what the goals of science should be, what relationship science should have with society, the differences between science and other activities, etc. Everything that happens in science has some relationship with the Philosophy of Science and is predicated upon some philosophical position, even though that may be rarely evident.
Political and Legal Philosophy
These two fields are often studied separately, but they are presented here jointly because they both come back to the same thing: the study of force. Politics is the study of political force in the general community while jurisprudence is the study of how laws can and should be used to achieve political and social goals.
