Philosophy is the rigorous exploration of fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. It involves critically examining our thought processes and refining the core concepts we use to understand reality.  Similar to other academic disciplines, philosophy grapples with complex problems, driven by questions that resist easy answers or defy empirical resolution.  Even when definitive answers remain elusive, as with the mind-body problem, philosophical inquiry can still yield insightful theories that illuminate the problem's very nature. Philosophy serves a crucial system-building function, navigating between explanation and understanding, often laying the groundwork for future scientific disciplines. In this sense, it is not merely a quest for causal relationships but a pursuit of ultimate meaning.

Some Enduring Philosophical Problems:

• Mind-Body Problem: How does consciousness relate to physical reality? What is the nature of the interaction, if any, between mental and physical states?

• Nature of Reality: What is the relationship between thought and reality? How do our subjective experiences correspond to an objective world?

• Mathematical Objects: What is the ontological status of mathematical entities like numbers, geometric figures, and sets? Do they exist independently of the human mind?

• Demarcation: How can we reliably distinguish between empirical sciences and non-empirical disciplines like mathematics, logic, or metaphysics?

• Infinity: Does actual infinity exist, or is it merely a conceptual tool?

• Values: What is the nature of values? Are they objective, subjective, or something else entirely? How do they arise, and what is their role in human life?

• Semiotics: How do signs and symbols relate to the objects they represent? What are the underlying mechanisms of meaning and representation?

• Identity and Change: What constitutes the identity of a thing or person over time? How can something remain itself despite undergoing change? What is the nature of change itself? How do we reconcile the persistence of personal identity with the continuous flux of experience and physical transformation?

• Modality: What is the nature of possibility, necessity, and actuality? How do these concepts relate to each other, and to the world as we experience it?