Questions tagged [metaphysics]
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the essence of things, of the fundamental nature of being and the world and the principles that organize the universe. Metaphysics is supposed to answer the question "What is the nature of reality?"
19 questions from the last 30 days
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Does science prove that the self does not exist, and if so what would that mean for human society?
This was kinda brought to me be a guy who said science could answer philosophical questions:
"There is no inherent ‘self’, and research supports this. Like a group of cells working together, ...
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Nothing is impossible [closed]
While contemplating what must be necessary metaphysically, one ought to come to the sentence:"Nothing is impossible".
As one argues the triviality: L=~~M, where I use L- for necessary and M- ...
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What makes something a tool?
Bataille write about tools in his Theory of Religion. For example,
As one can see, I have placed tool and the manufactured object on the same plane, the reason being that the tool is first of all a ...
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How do people personally understand what “reality” is, beyond formal definitions? [closed]
I am aware that reality is a central and highly technical concept in philosophy, with many formal definitions across different traditions (realism, idealism, Kantian philosophy, etc.).
However, I am ...
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What are some popular philosophical perspectives to describe the conceptualization of reality?
Philosophers and schools of thought approach reality in very different ways. (For example, realism, idealism, empiricism, or perspectives influenced by science and perception.)
How do major ...
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What is the intended definition of “nothing”? [duplicate]
What is the intended definition of “nothing”? Could it be that “nothing” is originally intended to mean the absence of matter and particles, while quantum fields, physical laws, and spacetime still ...
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When physics studies what fundamentally exists, why does it refuse to say what exists?
Physics studies elementary particles, quantum fields, and spacetime - the fundamental constituents of reality. This is exactly where physics meets ontology. We're no longer describing macroscopic ...
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What truly is power? [closed]
We commonly speak of many kinds of "power": bodily strength, intellect/knowledge, creativity, patience, perseverance, wealth, political influence, military force, and so on. These are ...
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Why is realism not a truly stand-alone concept?
According to Wikipedia, philosophical realism is - in addition to reality having mind-independent existence - “usually not treated as a position of its own but as a stance towards other subject ...
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The apparent explanatory poverty of Idealism
First I want to define Idealism.
With Idealism I mean the metaphysical theory that the fundamental nature of reality is mental, in other words, all fundamental properties are mental properties.
A ...
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What are some examples of modern anti-physicalist philosophers?
I am interested in reading some works of modern anti-physicalist philosophers.
Many have the impression that the philosophies of physicalism and scientism took over the intellectual academia since the ...
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Conceptual model to support a temporally infinite universe?
An argument against a infinite temporal universe is temporal finitism in which it argues if time is infinite in the past how could you get to the present from an infinite past.
Another argument is ...
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What are the minimal ontological conditions that make existence possible, prior to any knowledge, experience, or interpretation?
Much of modern philosophy begins with conditions of knowledge, experience, language, or subjectivity. This question deliberately steps back from epistemology and asks something more basic:
Before any ...
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Does the success of physics justify a belief in Physicalism?
First I want to clarify what I mean with Physicalism.
I mean with this the view that the nature of reality is fundamentally physical, meaning that all fundamental properties are physical properties.
A ...
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What are some accessible books that explain what "Being" means in philosophy and how it has changed over time?
I am looking for an accessible book that explains what "Being" means in philosophy. In particular, I am looking for something like "Being and Some Philosophers" by Etienne Gilson, ...
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