Philosophy means 'love of wisdom.' Wisdom refers to enlightened knowledge of the nature of the universe and our place in it. The basic questions in philosophy have to do with the nature of ultimate reality (What is the universe made of and who or what made it, if it was indeed made?); the nature of truth (Can we find absolute truth or are we condemned to continue inventing convenient theories?); the nature of the human person or self (Is there such a thing as human nature and what is it?); ethics (How should we live?); and many other issues such as what is beauty, art, justice, the good life? Philosophers do not have any of the final answers to these questions.