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Metaphysics - MSN Encarta Metaphysics is one of the principal works of Aristotle and the first major work of the branch of philosophy with the same name. Metaphysics is customarily divided into ontology, which deals with the question of how many fundamentally distinct sorts of entities compose the universe, and metaphysics proper, which is concerned with describing the most general traits of reality. Before the time of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant metaphysics was characterized by a tendency to construct theories on the basis of a priori knowledge, that is, knowledge derived from reason alone, in contradistinction to a posteriori knowledge, which is gained by reference to the facts of experience. encarta.msn.com /encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761555386   (1291 words)

metaphysics Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy consisting of ontology and cosmology. The term 'metaphysics' is often used to entail ideas and theories as to what kinds of beings are real, the nature of those beings and of the concepts and language used to think and speak or write about those beings. Metaphysical speculation about kinds of realities, which at one time dominated Western philosophy, has gradually given way to careful analyses of what can reasonably be posited about reality given what we know about how we come to experience reality and how we come to generate ideas about reality. skepdic.com /metaphysics.html   (561 words)

Metaphysics : Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online Less obviously, metaphysical issues also intrude on the philosophy of language and logic, as happens when it is suggested that any satisfactory theory of meaning will have to posit the existence of intensional entities, or that any meaningful language will have to mirror the structure of the world (see Intensional entities; Logical atomism). The relationship with metaphysics is, however, particularly close in the case of science and the philosophy of science. And whereas we find everywhere in metaphysics a debate over whether claims should be given a realist or an antirealist interpretation, in the philosophy of science we find a parallel controversy over the status of the entities featuring in scientific theories (see Realism and antirealism; Scientific realism and antirealism). www.rep.routledge.com /article/N095   (1758 words)

fUSION Anomaly. Metaphysics Before Kant, metaphysics was characterized by a rationalistic method of inquiry based on a priori principles- that is, knowledge derived from reason alone. In the 20th century the validity of metaphysical thinking has been disputed by logical positivists, who assert that expressions that cannot be tested empirically have no factual cognitive meaning, and by Marxist dialectical materialism, which asserts that the mind is conditioned by and reflects material reality. imagination as metaphysics is to think of it as part of life, and to think of it as part of life is to realize the extent of artifice. fusionanomaly.net /metaphysics.html   (1230 words)

Metaphysics (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) He distinguished between “general metaphysics,” (or ontology) the study of being as such, and the various branches of “special metaphysics,” which study the being of objects of various special sorts, such as souls and material bodies. In Metaphysics, two of Plato's central theses about the forms come in for vigorous criticism: (i) that things that would, if they existed, be “inactive” (the forms) could be the primary beings, the “most real” things, and (ii) that the attributes of things exist “separately” from the things whose attributes they are. To assign a central position in metaphysics to theories of ontological structure, moreover, presupposes a particular kind of theory about the relation of universals and/or accidents to particulars: that x's “falling under” or “having” F (here F may be either a universal or an accident) is identical with F's being a constituent of x. plato.stanford.edu /entries/metaphysics   (10225 words)

Metaphysics - On Truth and Reality - Metaphysics of Space and Motion explains Famous Metaphysical Quotes It is important because it shows us how to solve the problems of metaphysics (thus also physics and philosophy) by understanding how matter exists and moves about in Space in a necessarily interconnected way. It must certainly be allowed, that nature has kept us at a great distance from all her secrets, and has afforded us only the knowledge of a few superficial qualities of objects; while she conceals from us those powers and principles on which the influence of those objects entirely depends. Time was, when she (Metaphysics) was the queen of all the sciences; and, if we take the will for the deed, she certainly deserves, so far as regards the high importance of her object-matter, this title of honour. www.spaceandmotion.com /metaphysics.htm   (5005 words)

Aristotle's Metaphysics (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Although there is metaphysical structure to the fact that, e.g., this horse is white (a certain quality inheres in a certain substance), the fact that this is a horse is a kind of brute fact, devoid of metaphysical structure. In the conceptual framework of Metaphysics Ζ, a universal such as man or horse — which was called a species and a secondary substance in the Categories — is construed as “not a substance, but a compound of a certain formula and a certain matter, taken universally” (Z.10, 1035b29-30). The Doctrine of Being in the Aristotelian Metaphysics. plato.stanford.edu /entries/aristotle-metaphysics   (12701 words)

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Metaphysics Metaphysics is that portion of philosophy which treats of the most general and fundamental principles underlying all reality and all knowledge. metaphysics is the science of being as being. metaphysics of the schools was obliged to face new problems which were thrust on the attention of the schoolmen by the exegetical and educational activity of the www.newadvent.org /cathen/10226a.htm   (5614 words)

Aristotle -- Metaphysics [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy] The Metaphysics is one of the most helpful books there is for contending with a question the asking of which is one of the things that makes us human. My first assumption, then, was that the Metaphysics is one book with one complex argument, and my second is that, in cohering within itself, the Metaphysics may cohere with the Platonic dialogues. All being is dependent on the being of things; among things, the artificial are derived from the natural; because there is a cosmos, all natural things have being as living things; because all living things depend on either a species-identity or an eternal locomotion, there must be a self-subsisting activity of thinking. www.iep.utm.edu /a/aris-met.htm   (8228 words)

Metaphysics Metaphysics is supposed to answer the question "What is the nature of reality?" (see Metaphysics, introduction). But we cannot answer this question without first understanding what is the meaning of metaphysics, if any, and in what respect metaphysics differs from science, which tries to answer similar questions but through more concrete methods. Metaphysics is traditionally subdivided in ontology, the theory of being in itself, and cosmology, the theory describing the origin and structure of the universe. pcp.lanl.gov /METAPHYS.html   (453 words)

Metaphysics, introduction The word "metaphysics" is said to originate from the mere fact that the corresponding part of Aristotle's work was positioned right after the part called "physics". But it is not unlikely that the term won a ready acceptance as denoting this part of philosophy because it conveyed the purpose of metaphysics, which is to reach beyond nature (physis) as we perceive it, and to discover the "true nature" of things, their ultimate essence and the reason for being. Metaphysics creates a linguistic model (logical or conceptual structure) to serve as a basis for further refinements. pespmc1.vub.ac.be /METAPHI.html   (344 words)

University Of Metaphysics, NewThought University Metaphysics Since1959 If we were to travel from one metaphysical teacher or organization to another, we would find people engaging in different things, all under the label of Metaphysics. All of these fields, therefore, are regarded as part of Metaphysics by the University of Metaphysics and the University of Sedona, in regard to its Doctoral Degree and to its other programs and affiliations with its students and graduates. It is not the position of the university or its parent body, the International Metaphysical Ministry, to take one phase of the study of Metaphysics over another, as it is the belief of the universities that there are many paths humans may travel on the way to finding Truth. www.metaphysics.com   (1088 words)

Metaphysics Colleges, Metaphysical University, Spiritual Enlightenment The University Of Metaphysical Sciences sees the unfolding of events in our world just as you do, and recognizes the growing need for spiritual teachers, healers and leaders who are educated in all matters pertaining to metaphysics. The University Of Metaphysical Sciences is a metaphysical university that offers you a metaphysical education resulting in a metaphysics degree that you can use for your work in assisting others with spiritual enlightenment. In the category of metaphysics colleges, UMS offers one of the most comprehensive, well-rounded educations in metaphysics and is worthy of earning a metaphysical degree. www.umsonline.org   (1247 words)

Aristotle -- Metaphysics [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy] The Metaphysics is one of the most helpful books there is for contending with a question the asking of which is one of the things that makes us human. The passage just quoted connects with the powerful first sentence of the Metaphysics: "All human beings are by nature stretched out toward a state of knowing." Our natural condition is one of frustration, of being unable to escape a task of which the goal is out of reach and out of sight. All being is dependent on the being of things; among things, the artificial are derived from the natural; because there is a cosmos, all natural things have being as living things; because all living things depend on either a species-identity or an eternal locomotion, there must be a self-subsisting activity of thinking. www.utm.edu /research/iep/a/aris-met.htm   (8228 words)

Metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy responsible for the study of existence. The degree to which our metaphysical worldview is correct is the degree to which we are able to comprehend the world, and act accordingly. A proper metaphysical worldview must aim to understand reality correctly. www.importanceofphilosophy.com /Metaphysics_Main.html   (236 words)

Metaphysics: Multiple Meanings Some of the varying understandings of metaphysics held by some founders of New Thought and Christian Science are given in the opening pages of Contrasting Strains of Metaphysical Idealism Contributing to New Thought. Gathering knowledge (or alleged knowledge, critics of metaphysics would say) in metaphysics traditionally is by rational thought; in a more popular understanding, knowledge gathering may be either mystical or occult; in either case the pure (?) knowledge is to be distinguished from the practical application of it. A non-traditional, scientifically-oriented form of metaphysics is at Project Metaphysics, and a mathematically-linguistically-formalistically-oriented form at the Metaphysics Research Lab at the Center for the Study of Language and Information on the Stanford University campus. websyte.com /alan/metamul.htm   (867 words)

Metaphysics The War on Ego seems to be gaining popularity in some spiritual circles. Within this context the ego is basically your identification with your physical life and all its trappings, including your name, your personal history, your career, your relationships, and your current life situation. I want to make a distinction between subjective reality and solipsism, since many readers still confuse the two.  I think the best way to explain the difference is by way of a simple analogy:  lucid dreaming. You are currently browsing the archives for the Metaphysics category. www.stevepavlina.com /blog/category/metaphysics   (687 words)

What Is Metaphysics? For a more in-depth understanding of metaphysics get your own Free Metaphysics Information Package, which includes a 7-Day "What Is Metaphysics" Email Mini Course, A Subscription to the Metaphysical Mind E-Zine/Newsletter, and the Metaphysical Library. Please feel encouraged to browse through the tons of metaphysical articles organized into the following topics. For the latest updates on the new metaphysics articles being added sign up for your Free Metaphysics Information Package. www.whatismetaphysics.com   (204 words)

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