Is Metaphysics The Study Of Philosophy Or Science?
Metaphysics sounds like a branch of science. When people hear 'metaphysics,' they might believe the word has something to do with physics. Other people might think it is a reference to spiritual or new-age ideas. However, the word actually comes from philosophy. The first part of the word, 'meta', comes from the ancient Greek word, which means after. Metaphysics roughly translates to 'after physics.' This describes the topics metaphysics generally covers. While physics studies everything in physical existence, metaphysics explores everything beyond the physical.
A Bit of History
Metaphysics is a word that dates back to Ancient Greece. Aristotle was the first person to use the term. He used the word 'metaphysics' to refer to his books that came after his other work, Physics. While his books on physics discussed things that change, his book, Metaphysics, discussed the opposite. Aristotle described metaphysics as the "first philosophy." In his view, all other branches of philosophy depend on metaphysics in some way.
Later, other philosophers had different interpretations of Metaphysics. Immanuel Kant, for example, divided Metaphysics into two types of understanding. He believed transcendent metaphysics describes objective features of reality, untainted by human perception. You could view this as reality beyond experience. Kant's other classification was critical metaphysics, which gave an outline for underlying human thought and experience.
Today, Metaphysics is commonly known as the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of reality. The discipline asks what things in the world are and how they exist and work. This relates to other philosophical ideas and queries, such as existence, determinism, modality, and ontology.
Questions in Metaphysics
The nature of reality is a big topic to cover. Over the years, many philosophers have sought to answer metaphysical questions. Metaphysical questions cover a wide range of topics. The discipline deals with everything from the nature of the reality of the physical world to abstract concepts of the self. Some common metaphysical questions to ponder include the following. What is the nature of reality, what is time, what is space, what is the relationship between mind and body and what is identity? Some of these questions, for example, the question of what is time, overlap with other disciplines in the natural sciences.
Is Metaphysics a Science?
There is an undeniable similarity between metaphysics and natural science. Natural science also looks to answer questions about the nature of the reality of the world around us. The main difference between natural science and metaphysics is how they approach questions about the nature of reality. Metaphysics and natural science are two different frameworks for trying to understand similar ideas. Natural scientists use the scientific method to understand reality. They rely on the power of observation, experiments, measurements, and calculation. Metaphysicians, on the other hand, rely on the power of thought.
Metaphysics asks questions that often go beyond the scope of natural science. While physicians can answer questions about how to determine what an atom is, metaphysicians would answer questions about why the atom exists at all. Metaphysical questions are more abstract and harder to quantify or measure. Often, metaphysicians answer questions that concern the general 'what' and 'why', whereas scientists answer questions about the 'how' of reality.
Why Metaphysics is Important Today
Exploring such abstract, metaphysical ideas might seem pointless. Why should we consider the nature of reality beyond our experience? Does it matter what we think identity is or what time is? Whether we think about these things or not, life will go on almost the same way. However, thinking about these things introduces an aspect of curiosity into our lives. Metaphysics helps us make sense of the world around us, and dwelling on these ideas is fascinating. Some things we think of could lead us to live our lives differently.
