metaphysics means the branch of philosophy which studies fundamental principles intended to describe or explain all that is, and which are not themselves explained by anything more fundamental; the study of first principles; the study of being insofar as it is being (Latin: ens in quantum ens).
metaphysics is pronounced /mɛtəˈfɪzɪks/.
Why “metaphysics” is a great word
The branch of philosophy concerned with the fundamental nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, substance and attribute, and potentiality and actuality. From Medieval Latin metaphysica, from Byzantine Greek μεταφυσικά (metaphusiká), the title of Aristotle's treatise, literally meaning 'the (works) after the Physics,' from μετὰ (metá, 'after') and τὰ φυσικά (tà phusiká, 'the natural things, physics'). The title was given by an ancient editor to the collection of Aristotle's works that followed his Physics. First attested in English in the 1560s. Unlike physics, which empirically studies the measurable constituents of the material world, or epistemology, which scrutinizes the nature and limits of knowledge itself, metaphysics interrogates the foundational principles presumed to undergird all of it. It is the silent scaffolding behind the visible universe, the patient question beneath every answer, and the haunting suspicion that the stage is more real than the play—a discipline forever standing just after the known, staring into the dark where the map ends.
Etymology
1560s; plural of metaphysic, from Middle English methaphesik, methaphisik, methaphisique, metaphesyk, methafisik, metaphesyk, methephysyk, from Old French metafisique, methaphisique and Medieval Latin metaphysica, methephisica, from Byzantine Greek μεταφυσικά (metaphusiká), from the title of the collection by Aristotle μετὰ τὰ φυσικά (metà tà phusiká, “Following The Natural World”), a collection that comes after (μετά (metá)) Aristotle's collection entitled τὰ φυσικά (tà phusiká, “The Natural World”), from φυσικός (phusikós, “natural”). By surface analysis, meta- + physics.
noun
- The branch of philosophy which studies fundamental principles intended to describe or explain all that is, and which are not themselves explained by anything more fundamental; the study of first principles; the study of being insofar as it is being (Latin: ens in quantum ens).e.g.“The late philosopher Morris R. Cohen of CCNY was asked by a student in the metaphysics course, "Professor Cohen how do I know that I exist?" The keen old prof replied, "And who is asking?"”
- The view or theory of a particular philosopher or school of thinkers concerning the first principles which describe or explain all that is.e.g.“The metaphysics of Thomas Aquinas holds that all real beings have both essence and existence.”
- The metalogic of physics; the logical framework of physics.
- Any fundamental principles or rules.e.g.“The metaphysics of global power has changed. Markets are now more valuable than territory.”
- The study of a supersensual realm or of phenomena which transcend the physical world.e.g.“I have a collection of books on metaphysics, covering astral projection, reincarnation, and communication with spirits.”
- Displeasingly abstruse, complex material on any subject.e.g.“This political polemic strikes me as a protracted piece of overwrought, fog-shrouded metaphysics!”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- philosophy 87% match — An academic discipline that seeks truth through reasoning rather than empiricism, often attempting to provide explanations relating to general concepts such as existence and rationality. vs metaphysics →
- metaphysician 87% match — A philosopher who specializes in the scholarly study of metaphysics. vs metaphysics →
- metatheory 85% match — A theory about a theory. vs metaphysics →
- pseudometaphysics 85% match — A hypothesized explanation of the nature of reality that lacks the rigor of true metaphysics, especially one that involves a supersensual realm or phenomena which transcend the physical world. vs metaphysics →
- epistemology 85% match — The branch of philosophy dealing with the study of knowledge; the theory of knowledge, asking such questions as "What is knowledge?", "How is knowledge acquired?", "What do people know?", "How do we know what we know?", "How do we know it is true?", and so on. vs metaphysics →
- incorporealism 85% match — Existence without a body or material form; immateriality. vs metaphysics →
- metatheology 84% match — The study of theology itself vs metaphysics →
- naturalism 83% match — A state of nature; conformity to nature. vs metaphysics →