What is MetaPhysics in Philosophy and The Difference between Metaphysics and Science?
What is Philosophy?
Philosophy means “love of wisdom.” during a deep sense, philosophy is all about understanding fundamental truths about themselves, where we live and our relationships to the planet, relationship with one another.
According to Western Philosophers, the branches of philosophy are divided into Metaphysics, Epistemology, Axiology, Logic, Aesthetics. And as per Indian Philosophers, it is divided into Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Axiology.
What is MetaPhysics in Philosophy?
“Metaphysics” is the combination of two words: Meta, meaning ‘over and beyond’, and Physics, meaning ‘the knowledge of nature’. It is the ultimate study of our reality. It explores the essence of objects or the world around us.
It discovers the fundamental nature of truth and reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, substance and attributes. Metaphysics is a traditional branch of philosophy explaining the fundamental nature of well-being surrounded by our world.
Metaphysics is very different from other branches of philosophy. Other branches of philosophy deal with aspects of reality with well-being and justice, for example, Our thoughts or thinking.
Metaphysics on the other hand deals with general features of reality with value, for example, Our mind. Metaphysics can be considered as gaining wisdom as it involves searching beyond truth, purpose, and meaning in life.
Indeed one may consider that metaphysics is the foundation of Philosophy itself. When philosophers construct theories of reality they are always engaged in metaphysics.
From the very beginning, philosophers had questions for which there seems to be no conclusive answer. What are the metaphysical questions? It includes as follows:
- What is the meaning of life?
- What is our place in the universe?
- What is consciousness?
- Does the world really exist?
- Why is there something, rather than nothing?
- Do we have free will?
- Does God exist?
What are the major branches of Metaphysics? Let’s see the branches of Metaphysics as follows:
Ontology
Ontology is an important part of metaphysics. The word ‘Ontology’ is derived from two words ‘Onto’ and ‘Logia’, meaning ‘real thing’ and ‘discourse’.
So, by Ontology, we mean the science of pure well-being. Metaphysics deals with the nature of this pure being. It also deals with the internal, unseen, unchanging things.
It explains everything about the external and actual reality around us. For example, when we immersed straight stick half in water it looks bent.
We say that the bent stick is the appearance and the straight stick is the reality. But the straight stick must appear straight to us and hence it is called appearance.
Cosmology
It is the science that studies the origin of the universe. It is most closely related to the fields of astronomy and astrophysics.
It is the study of the connection between the behavior of the largest structures in our universe like planets, stars, galaxies together with those of the smallest structures in our universe like fundamental particles.
The first scientific cosmology was created by the Greeks more than 2000 years ago, here the metaphysical cosmology began when the early man looked at the night sky and began to ask, “What is it all about?”. Overtime myths about the creation and the structure of the universe were incorporated.
Scientists want to understand the ultimate reality and explain it through equations and models, while the spiritual person wants to understand it through meditation and self-awareness and is not concerned to explain it.
Theology
Theology the study of God and God’s connection to the world. It literally means” thinking of god”. It is studying and trying to understand this God who created us, everything around us.
To study theology we should have faith in God so that we can grow closer to God, learn his will and understand what he wants for our lives. We should love our God with all our hearts and with our souls.
The study of theology is deeply understood in our own religious tradition, it enables them to explore the nature of divinity. When our own thoughts of God go deeper and we see the faith through everything we do and act, we are more able to communicate with our beliefs.
In this way, we can remain in teaching theology with people who believe in us by the views we hold about God and the way we live because of them.
Being able to talk together about differences among us builds up peace and friendship. So theology is important as it strengthens our faith, our relationship with God, the ways we live and the decisions we make, and the ways we engage with other people about belief.
Metaphysics of Soul
The Human body is the process of eternity. The first day of the fetus in the mother’s womb reflects the precious presence of spirit(the essence of universe and nature) called as “Soul”.
It is a metaphysical category that moves in and out changing the reality in our life. The birth is the extreme journey of the soul till death. Our soul nurtures our mind with all thoughts.
Our soul mediates our mind and blesses the body to breathe. When we breathe into the air, the body becomes a living soul. The intelligence of life is reflected by the energy of the soul.
The soul is the intellect with the psychological philosophy of our body. The soul is that the integral essence of a living being.
The mental abilities of a living being, character, feeling, consciousness, memory, thoughts are the functions of our soul. Soul in religion and philosophy is an essence of a human being that grants individuality.
Difference between Metaphysics and Science?
As per Aristotle, metaphysics is the science of being as a pure being. Metaphysics deals with the whole world. Metaphysics explains everything about our existence.
It explains that whether they are really really physical objects or not. Natural Science investigates whatever is acceptable to our senses. But the ultimate reality of our senses is not explained. So, metaphysics helps to investigate these things. It is considered supra scientific knowledge.
Metaphysics in a simple term:
Metaphysics is related to logic. It deals with the nature of reality. Logic is concerned with the truth and material around us. metaphysics investigates the reality of the world, our soul, and God.
For example, our thought might not be similar and systematic and also not related to reality. Metaphysics examines our self-reflection and this self-reflection must be systematic and logical.
Metaphysics makes a difference between appearance and reality. All things as they appear to us are actually not as reality. Something appears different to us, but in reality, they appear in a different view.
For example, the earth appears to be flat, but it is actually round. Since reality could also be something different from what it appears to be. Despite natural science what is the ultimate reality of the world? How does metaphysics explain it?
We don’t know that who controls the world in reality. We have many questions in our mind like what is the nature of the universe? What is the purpose of life? Who are we? What is the reality of our death? How our death will be? Is there any existence of ghosts?
Natural science provides many answers and tools for these questions, but metaphysics helps to experience these answers in “TIME”. Because time is a purely metaphysical tool. Our existence with time is a mathematical possibility.
Is Reality is the key element of Metaphysics?
Yes, Reality means our thoughts or feelings. The world around us is very real. It has a specific nature. We need to understand reality correctly. The physical world exists and every object or creature in this world has a specific nature.
It behaves according to the nature around them. When different objects interact with each other they respond as per their own nature of both. Every action features a cause, equal and opposite reaction.
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Conclusion
Metaphysics is an important part of philosophy. Without any information about the world around us, we would not be able to deal with reality. We could not live with mindfulness.
We cannot live without the reality of every aspect around us. Without this metaphysics foundation, all knowledge that we gain is doubtful and leads to difficult living.
