What is metaphysics

Metaphysics in European languages is derived from Greek, and has similar forms in the major Western languages, such as "metaphysics" in English, "la metaphysic" in French, "die Metaphysik" in German, and "la metaphysik" in Italian. metaphysics" in English, "la metaphysic" in French, "die Metaphysik" in German, and "la metafisica" in Italian. The term was originally given to a work of Aristotle by Andronico, a philosophy teacher in Rhodes, meaning "after physics".

Metaphysics is also called "first philosophy," as in Descartes's Meditations on First Philosophy, also known as Meditations on Metaphysics. Aristotle divided human knowledge into three parts, using the analogy of a large tree: the first part, the most fundamental part, which is the root of the tree, is metaphysics, which is the foundation of all knowledge; the second part is physics, which is like the trunk of the tree; and the third part is the other natural sciences, which is compared with the branches of the tree.

Metaphysical questions are usually controversial without definite conclusions. This is partly because the accumulation of empirical facts, which is the largest body of human knowledge, is usually unable to resolve metaphysical controversies, and partly because the terminology used by metaphysicians is often confusing, and their arguments are therefore an unresolved mess of divergent views. Logical positivists in the twentieth century objected to certain metaphysical issues. They argued that certain metaphysical questions were meaningless in themselves.

In layman's terms, metaphysics means two things. One is the idea of looking at things from an isolated, static, one-sided, and superficial point of view (in Marxist philosophy, metaphysics in this sense is opposed to dialectics). The second refers to the study of philosophy that judges things on the basis of intuition (superexperience) alone. Sometimes it also refers to the study of the ontology of philosophy.

In recent times, traditional metaphysics has suffered an unprecedented blow with the powerful spread of scientific reason in the humanities. However, in terms of the historical process of metaphysical development, there are actually three forms of metaphysics: cosmic ontology, category ontology, and meaning ontology. What scientific reason rejects is in fact mainly the cosmic ontology based on discursive fictions. In the post-metaphysical era, metaphysics has not ended and will not end as far as the ontology of meaning is concerned.

The Chinese translation of "metaphysics" is taken from the I Ching, which says, "The metaphysical is called the Way, and the metaphysical is called the Instrument". It is a classic translation that is similar in both literal and practical meaning.

-Two basic meanings

The first:

Metaphysics can be understood as the study of ultimate reality. For the beginner, this definition may seem difficult to understand and offers little in the way of practical content, but believe me, it is the best definition that reflects both its meaning and its extension. This can only be understood once one understands the connotation and extension of metaphysics. This definition is explained in detail below.

Let's start with an analogy: a straightedge is stuck into water, and your eyes see that the straightedge is bent. But your knowledge of the ruler and your knowledge of optics tells you that the ruler is not curved, it is straight, and the reason you see it as curved is because of the phenomenon of refraction of light.

That's how you see through the phenomenon to the essence.

Metaphysics is "seeing through the phenomenon to the essence". Because, we can think, when we use our own senses to see the world, the world, whether it is also like the ruler, not the essence of its correctly presented to us, we see is not just the appearance of the world and the essence of its ignorance or misunderstanding? The object of metaphysical study, therefore, is the nature of the world. There are various answers to this question, such as: that the essence of the world is material, that the essence of the world is some kind of idea, spirit, that the world flows from God, and so on.

This is called "ontology", or metaphysics in the narrow sense.

Metaphysics also has a broader meaning. Since the task of metaphysics is to study the nature of the world, the question arises: are we capable of studying the nature of the world? If there is a capacity, then by what means should it be studied?

To the former question, it has been answered, "We are capable of studying the nature of the world." (Gnosticism) Some say, "We do not have the ability." (Agnosticism) To the latter question, some claim that the nature of the world must be recognized through rational logical deduction (rationalism), while others claim that it must be grasped through intuitive experience (empiricism).

This is "epistemology", and metaphysics in a broad sense should include both ontology and epistemology.

Broadly speaking, the study of existence beyond sense experience can be called metaphysics. And the definition of metaphysics given at the beginning refers to this. The "real" refers to the essence of things hidden by the phenomenon (in fact, there is no essence that is not hidden, this statement is inappropriate, this is used here is to facilitate the understanding), people recognize the essence of a thing through the phenomenon. But human understanding is development, many of the "real" recognized in the past by the new scientific discoveries proved to be only phenomena, so people must think, a thing exists in the ultimate reality. There are those who believe that there is an ultimate reality, i.e., the principles of the world have been determined in advance, and there are those who believe that there is no such thing as an ultimate reality because knowledge is constantly evolving. In addition, if there is an ultimate reality, it is also a question of whether human beings can grasp this ultimate reality. If we do, we will have mastered the fundamental laws of the universe, and fortune-telling will be scientific.

In short, therefore, it can probably be thought that metaphysics is the study of essence. It is superior to physics, which studies phenomena and laws, while metaphysics studies their existence and essence.

The second:

In the writings of Engels, Lenin, and Mao Tse-tung, "metaphysics" has another meaning.

Let's start with the age-old question: what came first, the chicken, or the egg.

The traditional way of thinking to solve this problem is that yes is yes, and no is no, so if there is not a chicken in the world first, there is an egg first. However, this way of thinking is in a quandary here: if there is a chicken first, then how is this chicken hatched? If there is an egg first, then how is this egg laid?

The scientific answer is: in this world, the chicken is not never such a chicken, the egg, is not never such an egg. Rather, it is in the long process of biological evolution, gradually formed such a form. This jumped out of the either/or thinking circle, completed a "unity of opposites", solved the problem.

The traditional way of thinking, called "intellectual thinking", can also be called "formal logical thinking", with this kind of thinking to consider the problem, will inevitably fall into a dilemma like "the first chicken or the first egg! With this kind of thinking, one will inevitably fall into the dilemma of "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" and arrive at contradictory and confusing answers. Kant, in the Critique of Pure Reason, put forward four famous dichotomies (that is, similar to the "chicken or egg first" and other questions, such questions are characterized by: his two opposite answers can be fully proved), pointing out this problem. He attributed the reason for this problem to the fact that human reason cannot recognize the objective world.

Hegel, on the other hand, argued against Kant's view of unknowability, suggesting that if one jumps out of the circle of either/or thinking, one does not fall into contradiction and confusion. This is the dialectic.

The opposite of dialectics, "intellectual thinking", was called "metaphysics" by Engels. Lenin and Mao Zedong also followed this usage, so the interpretation of "metaphysics" in Chinese political science textbooks is still the second interpretation. However, when academics use the word "metaphysics", they generally adopt the first meaning.

In fact, there is no difference between the two meanings of metaphysics, which are seemingly unrelated. If we follow the traditional metaphysical method to study existence itself, without considering its external and temporary appearance, the researcher will easily fall into isolation and one-sidedness. For it is obvious that society without man is not society, and man without society is not man, and anyone who tries to study the nature of society without "man" can do nothing but fall into isolation, stasis, and one-sidedness (the second meaning of metaphysics). It is clear that Marx was justified in using the "time-honored" definition of metaphysics to describe the "isolation, stasis, and one-sidedness" in opposition to dialectics.

Origin of metaphysics

The word "metaphysics" in European languages is derived from Greek, as in the English word "Metaphysics". The term was originally used by Andronico, the successor of Aristotle's Lyceum, when he edited Aristotle's fourteen philosophical volumes, meaning that they were organized after the works on physics. Thus the term "Metaphysic", originally used for editing, became the title of Aristotle's book. The Chinese translation "Metaphysics" is taken from the I Ching, "The metaphysical is called Tao, the metaphysical is called instrument".

Metaphysics is also called "first philosophy", such as Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, also known as Meditations on Metaphysics. Aristotle divided human knowledge into three parts, using the analogy of a large tree: the first part, the most fundamental part, which is the root of the tree, is metaphysics, which is the foundation of all knowledge; the second part is physics, which is like the trunk of the tree; and the third part is the other natural sciences, which is compared with the branches of the tree.

In recent times, traditional metaphysics has suffered an unprecedented blow with the strong spread of scientific reason in the humanities. However, in terms of the historical process of metaphysical development, there are actually three forms of metaphysics: cosmic ontology, category ontology, and meaning ontology. What scientific reason rejects is in fact mainly the cosmic ontology based on discursive fictions. In the post-metaphysical era, metaphysics has not ended and will not end as far as the ontology of meaning is concerned. All form and no substance is metaphysics.