Metaphysics

Metaphysics, or ‘first philosophy’, examines the existence of things and their relations. The field is much more involved than simply: “Apples exist, satyrs do not,” as metaphysicians typically examine what reality is in the first place (What is an apple? Is the existence of apples dependent on human minds?). It is beneficial to divide up the study of metaphysics into three ‘sub-fields’: existence, existential relations, and modal distinctions. The first deals with what actually exists - which can be categorized by ontology, natural theology, and cosmology. These metaphysical sub-fields examine what actually exists, and dives into more popular debates such as the existence of the mind, the existence of time, of space, of God, etc. Thus, while it may seem trivial to study what exists or not if it is evident that certain fantastical creatures (sirens, satyrs, or unicorns) do not exist - it is also obvious that the reality of many things that are not visible to the senses are now thrown into question. Importantly, metaphysics of this sort must also examine what makes a particular thing unique (i.e. what are its essential, accidental, primary, secondary, etc. qualities). The second sub-field is the relations of things that exist. It is a complex study, as it analyzes the effects that one object may have on another (causality), the possibility of them interacting at all, as well as the distinction between ‘particulars’ and ‘universals’. For example, one red apple is a particular (it seems) and apples in general are universal. But, the question gets more interesting when it is asked: “do universals actually exist in any meaningful way?” Perhaps it just a practical, linguistic label that is imposed on a collection of particulars, instead of a metaphysical issue. Another example in this subfield is the paradox of a seemingly deterministic world and a human species with free will. Lastly, there are modal distinctions (contingent, necessary, ‘possible’, ‘must’, etc.) that not only look at what exists, but also how they exist. Each of these three sub-fields can be further divided and debated. It is finally important to note that metaphysics is closely related to, but is not a field of, epistemology (i.e. there is still the question of how humans can come to this knowledge of what exists). But the field is nevertheless labeled as ‘first philosophy’, because it examines the fundamental nature of reality. The definition of metaphysics itself is also debated.