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Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is often characterized as first philosophy, implying that it is more fundamental than other forms of philosophical inquiry.
METAPHYSICAL definition: 1. relating to the part of philosophy that is about understanding existence and knowledge: 2…. Learn more.
Jun 25, 2024 · metaphysics, branch of philosophy whose topics in antiquity and the Middle Ages were the first causes of things and the nature of being. In postmedieval philosophy, however, many other topics came to be included under the heading “metaphysics.” (The reasons for this development will be discussed in the body of the article.)
1. : of or relating to metaphysics. metaphysical truth. metaphysical speculation. 2. a. : of or relating to the transcendent (see transcendent sense 1) or to a reality beyond what is perceptible to the senses. fleeing from experience to a metaphysical realm John Dewey. b. : supernatural.
Sep 10, 2007 · Metaphysics. It is not easy to say what metaphysics is. Ancient and Medieval philosophers might have said that metaphysics was, like chemistry or astrology, to be defined by its subject-matter: metaphysics was the “science” that studied “being as such” or “the first causes of things” or “things that do not change”.
Putting its rather arbitrary etymological origins to one side, we can say the word ‘metaphysics’ refers to the philosophical study of reality: metaphysics essentially attempts to establish a coherent picture of what reality ultimately is and how reality ultimately works.
Metaphysics is the most abstract branch of philosophy. It’s the branch that deals with the “first principles” of existence, seeking to define basic concepts like existence, being, causality, substance, time, and space. Within metaphysics, one of the main sub-branches is ontology, or the study of being. These two terms are so closely ...
METAPHYSICAL meaning: 1. relating to the part of philosophy that is about understanding existence and knowledge: 2…. Learn more.
metaphysics, Branch of philosophy that studies the ultimate structure and constitution of reality—i.e., of that which is real, insofar as it is real. The term, which means literally “what comes after physics,” was used to refer to the treatise by Aristotle on what he himself called “first philosophy.”
Oct 8, 2000 · Aristotle’s Metaphysics. First published Sun Oct 8, 2000; substantive revision Sat Nov 21, 2020. The first major work in the history of philosophy to bear the title “Metaphysics” was the treatise by Aristotle that we have come to know by that name.
