For the love of wisdom and knowledge.
physics = theory of nature. the world around us. the world of sense perception.
metaphysics = ideas / entities that exist independently of the world of space and time and sense perception. pure ideas. spiritual entities.
The philosophic definition of physics described above is distinct from the modern notion of physics being a particular branch of science. Although modern physics would be included inside this philosophic notion of physics. The definitions of physics and metaphysics have changed throughout time and particular philosophers have particular definitions. The above definitions are just a generalization but hopefully a useful one to aid in the understanding of particular viewpoints.
Aristotle described metaphysics as the first philosophy. Not literally first, as in what you should learn at the start in a sequence of teachings. But rather first in the sense that the rest of philosophy follows it. In this spirit, it is wise advice to get a grasp of what concept of physics and metaphysics a particular philsophy has before you dive too deep. This is also why despite metaphysics being a branch of a philosophy I am disucssing it seperately here.
ontology = the kind of existence that things have. speech about beings. can distinguish between god, man, and chairs.
epistemology = speech of reasoning about knowledge itself.
mind = what is the relationship between the mind, body, and external world?
logic = system of rules for deriving true inferences
language = what is the relationship between language, people, and the external world?
aesthetics = theory of the beautiful
ethics = theory of right and wrong
politics = theory of how to organize societies
Western Philosophy is the long journey of thought starting with the Pre-Socratics in Ionia, further developing across the world during Hellenisation and the Roman times, then the Medieval period, then the modern period, and finally reaching present day. It is the philosophical heritage for the peoples of countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It is the philosophical heritage for judaism and christianity but also athiesm via materialism and other schools of thought.
What is? Debatably the most important question of all. Western philosophies generally land in one of two camps:
When you study western philosophy it is key to understand early on what camp a philsopher is in.
The dichotomy running throughout western philosophy of Athens versus Jerusalem is probably best summarized by understandings of logos.
logos in Greek means speech, word, reason, talk.
An implication being rational discourse.
The Athenian view of logos is free and unfettered rationality
The Christian view of logos is fundamental divine word of God.