It is not easy to say what metaphysics is. Ancient and Medieval philosophers might have said that metaphysics was, like chemistry or astrology, to be defined by its subject-matter: metaphysics was the “science” that studied “being as such” or “the first causes of things” or “things that do not change”.

Metaphysics, branch of philosophy whose topics in antiquity and the Middle Ages were the first causes of things and the nature of being. Later, many other topics came to be included under the heading ‘metaphysics.’

Putting its rather arbitrary etymological origins to one side, we can say the word ‘metaphysics’ refers to the philosophical study of reality: metaphysics essentially attempts to establish a coherent picture of what reality ultimately is and how reality ultimately works.

The first major work in the history of philosophy to bear the title “Metaphysics” was the treatise by Aristotle that we have come to know by that name.

Learn what metaphysics is, how it relates to physics and ontology, and see examples of its usage and history. Explore synonyms, related articles, and translations of metaphysics in other languages.

metaphysics, Branch of philosophy that studies the ultimate structure and constitution of reality—i.e., of that which is real, insofar as it is real.

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of existence, such as being, causality, substance, time, and space. Learn about the key ideas, sub-fields, famous quotes, and historical developments of metaphysics, as well as its relation to epistemology and science.

Learn how Kant responded to empiricism and rationalism by arguing that the mind shapes the features of experience and limits our knowledge to the empirical realm. Explore his transcendental idealism, the categorical imperative, and his critique of the ideas of reason.

The primary sense of “metaphysics” examined here in connection to Russell is the study of the ultimate nature and constituents of reality. Since what we know, if anything, is assumed to be real, doctrines in metaphysics typically dovetail with doctrines in epistemology.