Definitions for metaphysics
ˌmɛt əˈfɪz ɪksmeta·physics

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. metaphysicsnoun

   the philosophical study of being and knowing

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. metaphysicsnoun

   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 (ens in quantum ens).

   Philosophers sometimes say that metaphysics is the study of the ultimate nature of the universe.

2. metaphysicsnoun

   The view or theory of a particular philosopher or school of thinkers concerning the first principles which describe or explain all that is.

3. metaphysicsnoun

   Any fundamental principles or rules.

4. metaphysicsnoun

   The study of a supersensual realm or of phenomena which transcend the physical world.

   I have a collection of books on metaphysics, covering astral projection, reincarnation, and communication with spirits.

5. metaphysicsnoun

   Displeasingly abstruse, complex material on any subject.

   This political polemic strikes me as a protracted piece of overwrought, fog shrouded metaphysics!

6. metaphysicsnoun

   Plural of countable senses of metaphysic.

7. metaphysicsnoun

   Plural form of metaphysic.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. metaphysics

   Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that explores fundamental questions related to the nature of reality, including concepts such as existence, reality, consciousness, time, space, causality, and possibility. It seeks to understand the nature of being and the structure of the world, beyond what is perceivable through physical and empirical means.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Metaphysicsnoun

   the science of real as distinguished from phenomenal being; ontology; also, the science of being, with reference to its abstract and universal conditions, as distinguished from the science of determined or concrete being; the science of the conceptions and relations which are necessarily implied as true of every kind of being; phylosophy in general; first principles, or the science of first principles

2. Metaphysicsnoun

   hence: The scientific knowledge of mental phenomena; mental philosophy; psychology

3. Etymology: [Gr. after those things which relate to external nature, after physics, fr. beyond, after + relating to external nature, natural, physical, fr. nature: cf. F. mtaphysique. See Physics. The term was first used by the followers of Aristotle as a name for that part of his writings which came after, or followed, the part which treated of physics.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Metaphysics

   Metaphysics is a traditional branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms: ⁕What is there? ⁕What is it like? A person who studies metaphysics is called a metaphysicist or a metaphysician. The metaphysician attempts to clarify the fundamental notions by which people understand the world, e.g., existence, objects and their properties, space and time, cause and effect, and possibility. A central branch of metaphysics is ontology, the investigation into the basic categories of being and how they relate to each other. Another central branch of metaphysics is cosmology, the study of the totality of all phenomena within the universe. Prior to the modern history of science, scientific questions were addressed as a part of metaphysics known as natural philosophy. Originally, the term "science" simply meant "knowledge". The scientific method, however, transformed natural philosophy into an empirical activity deriving from experiment unlike the rest of philosophy. By the end of the 18th century, it had begun to be called "science" to distinguish it from philosophy. Thereafter, metaphysics denoted philosophical enquiry of a non-empirical character into the nature of existence. Some philosophers of science, such as the neo-positivists, say that natural science rejects the study of metaphysics, while other philosophers of science strongly disagree.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Metaphysics

   met-a-fiz′iks, n.sing. the science which investigates the first principles of nature and thought: ontology or the science of being.—adj. Metaphys′ical, pertaining to metaphysics; abstract.—adv. Metaphys′ically.—n. Metaphysic′ian, one versed in metaphysics. [From certain works of Aristotle to be studied after his physics—Gr. meta, after, physika, physics—physis, nature.]

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Metaphysics

   the science of being as being in contradistinction from a science of a particular species of being, the science of sciences, or the science of the ultimate grounds of all these, and presupposed by them, called by Plato dialectics, or the logic of being.

The Roycroft DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. metaphysics

   1. An attempt to define a thing and by so doing escape the bother of understanding it. 2. The explanation of a thing by a person who does not understand it.

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Metaphysics

   The branch of philosophy that treats of first principles, including ontology (the nature of existence or being) and cosmology (the origin and structure of the universe). (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. metaphysics

   The science and study of the planet earth, universe and multiverse and the nature of being, existence, reason for living, purpose and the evolution of humanity.

   Metaphysics is a very interesting subject for those with a passion to know and learn why we are all here.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on March 15, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Philosophy

How to pronounce metaphysics?

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How to say metaphysics in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of metaphysics in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of metaphysics in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of metaphysics in a Sentence

1. W. Somerset Maugham:

   To regard the 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. We live in the mind.

2. Woody Allen:

   I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics exam; I looked into the soul of the boy sitting next to me.

3. Woody Allen:

   When I was in school, I cheated on my metaphysics exam I looked into the soul of the boy sitting next to me.

4. Woody Allen, Annie Hall:

   I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics exam; I looked into the soul of the boy next to me.

5. David Hume:

   If we take in our hand any volume; of divinity or school metaphysics, for instance; let us ask, "Does it contain any abstract reasoning concerning quantity or number?" No. "Does it contain any experimental reasoning concerning matter of fact and existence?" No. Commit it then to the flames: for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion.

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References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=metaphysics
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Metaphysics
3. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
4. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metaphysics
5. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=metaphysics
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=metaphysics
7. ^ The Nuttall Encyclopedia
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12342/pg12342-images.html#Metaphysics
8. ^ The Roycroft Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/36566/36566-h/36566-h.htm#:~:text=metaphysics