philosophical
About the school subject of philosophy and its ideas about truth, knowledge, and right and wrong.
Relating to the academic study of philosophy, its theories, methods, or systems of thought.
Staying calm and accepting a bad situation instead of getting very upset or angry.
Calm and reasonable when something bad happens, accepting it without strong complaint or emotion.
Thinking or talking in a deep way about life and big ideas, not about small everyday things.
Involving deep, general thinking about life, reality, or human experience, often in a serious or abstract way.
- Base: philosophical
be philosophical about something
1stay calm and accept problems
To react to a bad or difficult situation in a calm, thoughtful way, and accept it instead of getting very upset.
- Try to be philosophical about the delay; there’s nothing we can do.
- He was surprisingly philosophical about losing the contract.
- She told me to be philosophical about my mistake and just move on.
in a philosophical sense
1considered from a philosophical angle
Looking at something only as an idea in philosophy, not in a practical or everyday way.
- In a philosophical sense, the question is about what it means to know anything at all.
- You could say, in a philosophical sense, that we are all alone.
- In a philosophical sense, this problem is about freedom and responsibility.
philosophical approach
1method using philosophical reasoning
A way of thinking about or dealing with a problem that uses philosophical ideas.
- The author takes a philosophical approach to questions about artificial intelligence.
- Our project combines a philosophical approach with empirical research.
- A purely philosophical approach may ignore important social facts.
philosophical argument
1line of reasoning in philosophy
A careful line of reasoning that tries to show that a philosophical idea is true or false.
- Her paper presents a new philosophical argument against punishment by death.
- Students analyzed a classic philosophical argument for the existence of God.
- The philosophical argument is complex but logically strong.
philosophical debate
1serious discussion of big ideas
A formal or serious discussion where people argue about philosophical ideas.
- There is an ongoing philosophical debate about whether machines can think.
- The lecture sparked a lively philosophical debate among the students.
- These issues have been at the center of philosophical debate for centuries.
philosophical issue
1topic or problem in philosophy
A problem or topic that belongs to philosophy, not just to everyday life or simple facts.
- Free will is a classic philosophical issue in ethics.
- The author treats climate change as both a scientific and a philosophical issue.
- Personal identity is a difficult philosophical issue to explain to beginners.
philosophical outlook
1philosophy-based view of life
A general way someone sees life that is shaped by their philosophical ideas or beliefs.
- Her philosophical outlook is strongly influenced by Buddhism.
- Travel changed his philosophical outlook on work and success.
- The course encouraged students to develop a more philosophical outlook on everyday problems.
philosophical point of view
1way of thinking based on philosophy
A way of thinking that comes from certain philosophical ideas or beliefs.
- From a philosophical point of view, suffering can give life meaning.
- The book is written from a broadly existentialist philosophical point of view.
- From a philosophical point of view, that decision is hard to defend.
philosophical question
1fundamental question about big ideas
A big, general question about life, reality, knowledge, or what is right and wrong.
- The film raises the philosophical question of what makes a person the same over time.
- We ended up discussing the philosophical question of whether life has a purpose.
- That is more of a philosophical question than a scientific one.
philosophical tradition
1historical line of philosophical thought
A long, shared way of thinking in philosophy that many writers follow over time.
- This idea comes from the ancient Greek philosophical tradition.
- He works within the analytical philosophical tradition.
- Feminist thinkers have created a rich new philosophical tradition.