Metaphysics

Paper Summary:

This paper provides an overview of metaphysics. The paper analyzes what some of its most well-known advocates have had to say about it. The paper presents an assessment of how metaphysical thought has influenced ethics today. The paper illustrates that metaphysics has been an influential way of thinking about the world and mankind's place in it for thousands of years. Beginning with the Greek philosophers, metaphysics has provided a framework for understanding the world around us by recognizing what is true and what can be truly said to be moral.

From the Paper:

"In an effort to keep things on a level that people can understand, it seems that most authorities on metaphysics employ the word "simple" and "simply" a lot to describe what metaphysics is and how it works; for example, according to philosopher Frederick Sontag, the term "metaphysics" is "simply basic philosophy, the search for and the questioning of first principles" (p. 1). Likewise, the word "Metaphysics" in Greek "simply means 'After Physics'" (Loomis 1943). According to this author, the term Metaphysics derives from the title written by some ancient editor on certain unnamed rolls of Aristotle's own notes which he was placing next to the treatise on physics. "As it comes to us, the Metaphysics is a compilation of a number of originally separate blocks of notes, all dealing with the most fundamental problems of philosophy but put together without much care to make them fit" (p. 3)."

More papers on Metaphysics:

• Term Paper # 124021 : "Aristotle's "Metaphysics"
• Comparison Essay # 120995 : "Nature of Metaphysics"
• Essay # 71415 : "Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals"
• Dissertation or Thesis # 91699 : "Prophecy in Professional Practice of Metaphysics"

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