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- Dictionarymetaphysics/ˌmɛtəˈfɪzɪks/
plural
- 1. the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, identity, time, and space: "they would regard the question of the initial conditions for the universe as belonging to the realm of metaphysics or religion"
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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.
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”.
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. Later, many other topics came to be included under the heading ‘metaphysics.’
This article defines the philosophical branch of metaphysics, outlining its key focuses and discussing why it’s important today.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to metaphysics: Metaphysics – traditional branch of philosophy concerned witlh explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world that encompasses it, althohugh the term is not easily defined.
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.”
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 ...
Oct 8, 2000 · 1. The Subject Matter of Aristotle’s Metaphysics. Aristotle himself described his subject matter in a variety of ways: as ‘first philosophy’, or ‘the study of being qua being’, or ‘wisdom’, or ‘theology’. A comment on these descriptions will help to clarify Aristotle’s topic.
Metaphysics is a broad area of philosophy marked out by two types of inquiry. The first aims to be the most general investigation possible into the nature of reality: are there principles applying to everything that is real, to all that is? – if we abstract from the particular nature of existing things that which distinguishes them from each ...
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is one of the most influential philosophers in the history of Western philosophy. His contributions to metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics have had a profound impact on almost every philosophical movement that followed him. This article focuses on his metaphysics and epistemology in one of his most ...
