Conceptions of Philosophy: Entering a Contested Grassland

In this conceptual paper I enter the contested field of the notion of philosophy, which in itself, is an old and complex philosophical problem. Philosophers have characterized philosophical reflection by its notorious inconclusiveness. I metaphorically situate the conceptions of philosophy as a fertile pasture in which philosophers of different shades contest for a defensible meaning of philosophy. I explore four perspectives of philosophy as 1) the worldview or personal attitude, 2) an activity or an academic discipline of study, 3) universal or 4) particular /cultural. I attempt to survey and analyse the different schools of thought in an effort to provide a balanced view of the notion. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n10p58