The study of philosophy in general is typically regarded as removed from practicality, and because it is generally viewed as intrinsically apart from those concerns which govern behavior and living. Essentially, all philosophy is inquiry, and of a kind focused on virtue, morality, human potentials, and other matters not seen as relevant to processes of human existence and survival. This often leads to ideas of philosophy as not advantageous in any real way. At the same time, however, there remains a powerful validation for the study, and one innately practical; namely, if it is accepted that human beings possess consciousness beyond any other form of life, it is then essential that this consciousness be applied to the deepest understanding of how and why life exists. There is a responsibility to consciousness, just as philosophical inquiry often enhances perspectives and generates more evolved, and consequently practical, means of thinking and behaving. Essentially, human life transcends only the most basic and practical considerations because we function on multiple levels. The study of philosophy then adds practical value through exploration of the most profound levels, and simply because the ways in which we perceive the world and ourselves determine the ways in which we think and behave.
Given the fundamental nature of philosophy, it is not surprising that branches of it intersect and influence one another. Epistemology, for example, is the study of knowledge itself, with an emphasis on determining the integrity of types of knowledge. This then relates to axiology, or the study of value in general, and which further encompasses the fields of ethics and aesthetics. Moreover, both of the primary branches above call into play the branch of metaphysics, or the investigation of that which exists, or may exist, beyond definable, physical parameters (PLE, 2012). To understand the realities of knowledge requires that the inherent worth of knowledge be recognized, which in turn involves axiology. Then, knowledge itself is inextricably based upon ideas of possibilities, so metaphysics enters into epistemology as well.
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Personally, nonetheless, I am most intrigued by the metaphysical branch of philosophy, and primarily because I believe this approach goes to the heart of philosophy in all its varying forms. Metaphysics is abstract to an extent, yet it also seeks to take on the greatest challenge of all: identifying what defies identification in human living and thought. The questions, for example, have long been asked: what is good and why is it perceived as valuable or necessary? With Kant, there is an imperative which inherently justifies itself, or relies upon an innate understanding of the value of virtue. Kant asserts that humanity must develop the means to do good with no purpose apart than the achievement of good (2009, p. 13). This has of course generated debate. Hume famously underscores the dilemma inherent in Kantian ideas of metaphysics, which is essentially that there must always be a presupposition of good as good, and good actions then exist to support a belief or value actually reliant upon them (Guyer, 1998, p. 56). This in itself, however, reinforces the importance of metaphysics because it questions and examines what seems to be a visceral aspect of human existence. More exactly, as we do tend to believe that good is good, we must seek to know why we believe this as an absolute truth, and/or what creates this sense of it as truth within us. That answers are elusive and subject to debate by no means lessens the importance, because metaphysics commits to the most challenging direction philosophy may take. It exists to probe all possibilities and, as noted, this is the most fundamental obligation of human consciousness.
