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Questions tagged [metaphysics]

Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the essence of things, of the fundamental nature of being and the world and the principles that organize the universe. Metaphysics is supposed to answer the question "What is the nature of reality?"

There is no universal definition of Metaphysics, since it covers the most broad aspects of the universe, reality, and being. Metaphysics is traditionally subdivided in , the theory of being in itself, and , the theory describing the origin and structure of the universe.
Aristotle divided Metaphysics into , , and .

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Why is there something instead of nothing?

The "something" means the whole Universe (known and unknown). It would include all the multiverses and such. It could be represented as the “reality” version of the set of all sets, which is itself debated. A better version of the whole Universe…
Geoffroy CALA
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Is there a reason to believe that our universe obeys internally consistent rules?

I'm coming at this from the POV of a physicist. Physics demonstrates that the universe does not feel any obligation to follow a humans naive idea of what makes sense. This idea of what "makes sense" was developed for surviving in a Newtonian world,…
Clumsy cat
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Who were Borges's main philosophical influences?

Having read a bit of Borges's poetry, I know that Borges read and admired Spinoza. Having listened to his Harvard lectures about poetry, I know that he had sort of passing acquaintance with some elements of Chinese philosophy. But something tells me…
magnetar
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Is a filled hole still a hole?

The question is in the title: can we say that a filled hole is still a hole? For example, can we consider that a hole dug in dirt and filled with sand is still a hole? My opinion on this is that if a hole is filled with a different material, it is…
user6862
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Where is the universe?

Let's start with what is the universe: the universe is everything that exists - galaxies, stars, planets, matter, energies, etc. So the universe is composed of atomic components and the energies between them. That means that our universe is…
kravemir
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Universals vs. Facts

I simply do not understand the problem of universals, i.e. I don't understand how it is even a problem. The IEP writes: We can approach the question about the existence of universals from a linguistic perspective. Consider how often we speak of…
Ystar
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An exposition and argument for ontological pluralism

Ontological Pluralism: the doctrine that there are different fundamental ways of being. To put it more specifically to illustrate the point (although this not statement that ontological pluralists are necessarily committed to): the world is made up…
possiblew1
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thing and its properties

Aristotle says there are things and two types of properties that thing can have,one accidental property other essential property. my question is if we remove all accidental and essential properties of a thing will that thing still be same…
user8053
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Does infinity exist in the real world,other than just in mathmatics?

My question is: Does infinity, i.e. infinite numbers,like omega,aleph-null,exists in the real world or just exist in the mathematical theory? For example,if time has no start point,is there a world more than omega years before now? If the space in…
user136774
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What is the Difference between a Non-Existent Object and an Abstract Object?

Meinongianism Claim: Existence is a property that some objects possess and some don't; there "are" non-actual or non-existent objects (such as Santa Clause, possible worlds, and perhaps even impossible worlds). Question: What would then be the…
user3152
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What does it mean for things in the universe to no longer be totally ordered?

There is a general belief that the universe is totally ordered. What does it mean for things in the universe to no longer be totally ordered?
user35902
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PSR and intelligibility

"Everything is intelligible" Jacques Maritain From a thomistic point of view and given the doctrine of transcendentals, it seems that everything is intelligible (PSR formulation). But from the fact that everything is intelligible, how does it…
Pedro Filipe Lopes
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Can a purely biological account of man show a superiority over other animals?

Can a purely biological account of man show a superiority over other animals other than that of belonging to a later stage of evolution or of greater possibilities of action, a superiority “in his very being”?
rvelbon
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Is the Being and Event Series Worth Reading?

For those of you who have read Alain Badiou's Being and Event Series, does it seem like something worth reading? What is the synopsis of the series, and how does the trilogy differ from eachother?
TCoff
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Is it possible to a define human being without reference to metaphysical hypotheses?

Is it possible to define a human being without implying any sort of metaphysical hypothesis? It seems to me that every statement one can make to define a human being must necessarily imply some metaphysical hypothesis. I've tried to think why this…
Jean Leroi
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