When people come across the term “metaphysics” they often
associate it with new-age spiritual mysticism that deals with the mysterious non-physical
aspects of reality such as spirits or spiritual healing or ghosts. This is
quite understandable as the etymology of the word suggests just that. The word
is derived from Greek meaning beyond or after (meta) physics.
The main reason for this confusion can be traced back to the
Latin scholars who translated and commented on Aristotle’s works. Aristotle wrote
several books on physics and Andronicus of Rhodes placed several of Aristotle’s
more philosophical works after these books. Andronicus labelled these works as “the
books that come after the physics”
and the Latin scholars thought it meant “the science of what is beyond the
physical”, hence “metaphysics”.
Aristotle never used the term “metaphysics”. Instead his
works labelled as metaphysics is what he labelled as “first philosophy”. Aristotle
most probably borrowed from the terms philosophus and philosophia that were
first employed by Pythagoras (in Cicero’s Tusculan Disputations). Philosophy roughly meant to Pythogoras as the
pursuit of wisdom. The term philosophy then in turn changed to signify wisdom
and the love of it, which was seen as the highest kind of knowledge. To
Aristotle the only way to reach the highest kind of knowledge was to engage in
what he labelled as “first philosophy”.
Aristotle’s philosophia
prima or metaphysics is concerned with real being and its attributes. In
other words it is concerned with the very nature of a thing, with being itself,
with the root principle, causes and operations of existing things. To Aristotle
metaphysics deals with the most fundamental and deepest aspects of reality and
was viewed as the queen of the sciences.
The Scholastics referred to empirical physical sciences as
“real sciences” or “scientiae reales” as these sciences studied things such as
objects, substances, processes, organisms etc. They also labelled the study of
logic, the process of attaining certain proofs and truths, as a “rational
science” or “scientia rationalis”.
Importantly one cannot engage in any
metaphysics without being informed by the real sciences as well as the rational
sciences. Aquinas described metaphysics as the science one studies after having
mastered the sciences that deal with the physical world. And a coherent and
consistent first philosophy can only be successful if it interprets the empirical facts
logically, coherently and consistently.
So what is the scope of metaphysics? No, it’s not some
new-age, mystical, spiritual woo-woo. It is fundamentally concerned with
describing or understanding the nature of being and becoming (change). We all
have our metaphysical views or first philosophies. This may not be apparent at
first but as soon as people attempt to answer questions such as “what is your view
of the concept of matter?” or “do you think time is real or just an
intellectual abstraction of change?” or “are you a realist?” or “is free will
compatible with determinism?” or "what is the relationship between cause and
effect?” etc.then their philosophia
prima becomes recognizable.
It is only by engaging in metaphysics or a first philosophy
that one can begin to answer such questions. To answer such questions in a logically
consistent manner is the main aim of metaphysics and as always definitions are
important.
Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.