Metaphysics focuses on being and analyzes the nature of reality.
Before entering fully into the meaning of the term metaphysics, we must know its etymological origin. In this case, we can emphasize that it is a word that derives from Greek. Specifically, it is the result of the sum of two lexical components of that language:
-The word meta , which can be translated as "beyond."
-The word physika , which derives from physikos and is synonymous with "physical nature" or "treatise on nature."
What is metaphysics
Metaphysics is the area of philosophy centered on being . This discipline analyzes the principles, properties and nature of reality that are inaccessible through experience.
The object of study of metaphysics, therefore, cannot be examined or demonstrated by empirical investigation . It is often said that, while biology takes as its starting point the existence of life and chemistry does the same with matter, metaphysics is responsible for defining what life is and what matter is.
Metaphysics is associated with what Aristotle called first philosophy , which studied the causes and characteristics of being . The concept, in fact, arose from the order that Andronicus of Rhodes gave to a first edition of Aristotle 's notes.
Metaphysics is classified in different ways according to its current.
reality and being
It can be stated that metaphysics seeks to understand reality from theory , trying to penetrate the elementary principles of things. What it is to be and why there is something are two of its essential questions.
Being, in this framework, is that which, leaving aside the totality of the individual characteristics of particular entities, continues to be the same in all entities. Being is also defined as what can be attributed to everything .
Types of metaphysics
No less significant is knowing that there are different types of metaphysics. Specifically, among the most important are the following:
– Spiritual metaphysics , which is a school that aims to help people be happy. In order to achieve this goal, what it does is try to ensure that people can modify their behavior patterns, specifically that they manage to eliminate their defects while enhancing their virtues.
– Cartesian metaphysics , which is closely related to the figure of the philosopher Descartes. Specifically, it determines that there are three important substances: the soul, which is the thinking substance that responds to the name "res cogitans"; God, who becomes the infinite substance also known as "infinite res"; and matter, which we can establish is the extensive substance and which is also called "res extenso."
In addition to those mentioned, we can highlight special metaphysics , which is divided into several branches, and general metaphysics .
Different views
It is important to keep in mind that there are different ways of understanding what metaphysics is and the scope of this part of philosophy.
There are those who affirm that the postulates of metaphysics have no meaning or meaning , while others maintain that their statements do have meaning, but it is not possible to determine whether the statements are false or true since it exceeds the cognitive capacity of the human being .