Philosophy is about as broad a subject as you can find in a university curriculum. It addresses a wide variety of questions, some quite familiar (Does God exist? Why should I be moral? What does it take to make a just society? How is the mind related to the body?), others less so (What is time? What is space? Is it rational to rely on past experience as a guide to the future? If so, why, and under what circumstances?). Moreover, it falls within philosophy to examine the methods and practices of virtually all academic disciplines (including philosophy itself), and the practices of other activities, such as the fine arts, which are sometimes thought of as different from typical academic disciplines. So philosophers raise general questions about the nature of art, and the criteria for determining aesthetic value. Philosophers hold many different views about how to deal with these questions. We describe some of the different approaches in "Styles of Philosophy;" we discuss some methods of the discipline in "Techniques and Tools of Philosophy."

Because of this breadth, a person can study philosophy in ways involving the styles and techniques of thought of many other disciplines. For example, a philosopher concentrating in logic may do work much like that of a student of mathematics. A philosopher primarily interested in the philosophy of religion will often be dealing with many of the same issues as a theologian or a historian of religion. Engagement in political philosophy may be closely connected with political activism. Studies in the philosophy of law may require habits of thought similar to those of lawyers. The list of examples could be greatly extended. However, many of the activities characteristic of philosophy are peculiar to the discipline. The only way to know what it's really like is to give it a try.