Page "Metaphilosophy" Paragraph 28

Applied philosophy is the philosophical critique of various social activities ( such as religion ) and intellectual pursuits ( such as science and sociology ).

Philosopher and encyclopedist Mortimer Adler includes all such second-order questions about various fields of study, which are often found under various branches of philosophy beginning with the phrase " philosophy of ....", in his taxonomy.

Adler divides these second-order philosophical problems into two branches: one addressing the objects of thought, such as Being, Cause, Change, Infinity, Destiny, and Love ; the other addressing the subjects, or procedural domains, of thought, e. g. philosophy of religion, philosophy of history, philosophy of language, philosophy of science.

Metaphilosophy also attempts to understand such second-order problems with the aid of the other major branches, e. g. metaphysical knowledge in religion, epistemology in religion, axiology in religion, etc.