I used to think of "philosophy" as an abstract body of thought.  The subject seemed a monumental but relatively bland edifice built on a mighty mountain.  From afar, the subject was massive and intimidating, but it lacked detail and coherence. There appeared to be no point to it all.  Why did its architects struggle over the centuries to create seemingly endless arcane elements?  I preferred to walk around or ignore philosophy rather than study it.  Only when I dared to enter the construction did I begin to appreciate its detail and beauty.

Ever since the first sparks of thought characterized the human species, mankind has been in the process of amassing knowledge.  Very basic ideas, like those associated with eating, procreating, and survival formed a bedrock upon which grew concepts of agriculture, medicine, psychology, culture, and science.  Through the millennia, mankind has developed all this knowledge bit by bit.  Each new discovery or invention developed on foundations previously laid down, forming mighty walls of wisdom and solid structures of understanding.

Philosophy subsumes all knowledge.  It is the mighty fortress on the hill containing every channel of thought, every practical understanding, every sublime ambition, and every deadly creation.  While broad in scope, philosophy can be summed up by attempting to answer three very basic questions:  What exists?  How do I know it?  and What should I do?  Answers to these questions become the fields of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics.