What is philosophy?

[atreestump]

Sounds like an easy question, but it's hard to define. What is philosophy to you? Discuss.

[notathoughtgiven]

It is one of those things that sounds easy but when you try to define it, then I have a headache.

I would say philosophy is the study of why we exist. What is our purpose in life. How we govern ourselves in our life through ethics. That by studying philosophy we gain a better understanding of our place in the universe and therefore can live a happier life.

Yeah I know kind of fuzzy there, but I thought I would try to define it :)

[atreestump]

Using reason to know what there is and then how to live life based on what we discover I think is the most basic definition. Nothing wrong with that.

It gets complicated when we begin to question the history of ideas and concepts, when eastern thought meets with western thought.

[Socrates]

Philosophy is the love of wisdom, it's the overarching subject of all subjects. Philosophy comes before any method or discipline.