Analyse life

As told to Garima Sharma
Shivani Sharma, chairperson, department of philosophy, Panjab University, Chandigarh, on various aspects of the 'mother of all sciences'
Philosophy is the study of ideas and issues related to life. A 'concept' or 'idea' is the base of philosophical studies.As science cannot answer all questions related to human life and beliefs, philosophy comes to the rescue.It answers questions pertaining to human life and its techniques apply to problems in any field of study. It supports rational and logical reasoning for those questions. In simple words, it deals with general and fundamental problems about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind and language.
The discipline provides intellectual training, dealing with abstract questions, teaching how to learn, think and write clearly, to argue vigorously and question deeply held assumptions. Its areas of study include metaphysics (study of reality), epistemology (study of knowledge), axiology (study of values), aesthetics (study of art and emotions), philosophical psychology and socio-political thoughts.
An extended sister concern of philosophy is cognitive science, which involves learning scientific methodology to understand and interpret the concept of mind. Another emerging area is applied ethics, in which the curriculum offers an understanding of biomedical practices within the framework of the moral ethics of human beings, especially medical professionals.
As philosophy is known to be the mother of all sciences, it shares an affinity with all sciences envisaging knowledge.
An aspirant can pursue a Master's degree, followed by an MPhil and a PhD. Environmental ethics, contemporary political theory, religious studies, sustainable development, bioethics and applied philosophy are some of the emerging areas of research in philosophy.
Teaching and research are the major avenues open to philosophy students. Those aspiring for the civil services, too, find the subject comprehensive, for its approach is holistic. In the private sector, one with a philosophy degree can find employment in public relations, policy analysis, consultancy and the media.