Instead of having a collection of unorganised beliefs and opinions that may be incoherent and self-contradictory, the philosopher believes that a person's views should be carefully considered and organised into a coherent, meaningful, rationally defensible sysytem

Concerned with questions concerning how human beings ought to live their lives, and about what is right or wrong

Approach

Ideas that come from a variety of sources. Eg scientific discoveries, personal experience and traditional beliefs commonly held by people in the society in which they live

Time line

Early Greek

Time line

St Augustine tried to explain and justify certain religious points of view

Rene Descartes who attempted to interpret the meaning and importance of various scientific discoveries and theories

John Locke and Karl Marx whose philosophies have effected certain changes in the political organisation of society

Professions

They 'like to take problems back to their first principles, to look at the core concepts we employ and to see if they stand up to scrutiny'

Philosophers aims

Building up a clearer picture of the building blocks of people's beliefs, values and arguments, 'we can be more confident about our actual moral behaviour in the real world' Wraight 2011

Ethics