So is philosophy:
1) A tool to help people to use logical analysis to solve problems, philosophy is therefore logic and epistemology mostly.
That is a very basic aspect of philosophy -- a means of determining the validity of conclusions given an argument. As such logic allows one to conclude:
"All tigers have stripes
Sultan is a tiger
Therefore Sultan has stripes".
--or --
"All tigers have stripes.
Rin-Tin-Tin (a dog) has many tiger-like traits, but no stripes
Therefore Rin-Tin-Tin is not a tiger".
But definitely not:"All tigers have stripes
Zebras have stripes
Therefore zebras are tigers".
I was introduced to formal logic in geometry... so logic is a very elementary part of philosophy.
All significant studies originate in philosophy -- whether physics, jurisprudence, or linguistics. Even such pseudoscience as astrology has origins in philosophy as does astronomy. When people at the apex of a study start having questions they often turn to philosophy to establish a structure for determining truth. An example: twentieth-century statisticians wanted a means of determining whether one could have a level of certainty for describing certain phenomena. They turned to the philosopher Karl Popper.
Social scientists who have not studied formal philosophy are crippled in their efforts.
It is often a critique of our claims to knowledge. The desirability of seeking knowledge? In view of the technologies of data storage, the mere collection of data may not be as essential as it once was. Having access to knowledge and being able to judge what claims to be knowledge is even more essential.
Knowledge may false.
Thus said Descartes:
Cogito ergo sum.
Sometimes that is noting more than personal crankiness.
As a structure for inquiry of the basic realities of life, the universe, human relationships, and all else, it is the cornerstone of all means of discerning truth and separating truth from nonsense -- especially the attractive nonsense that often pops up.
