Metaphysica

Metaphysica, in its broad sense, is the branch of philosophy that investigates the most fundamental aspects of reality that lie beyond the reach of empirical science. The term derives from the Greek ta meta ta physika, "the things that come after the physics," and is rendered in Latin and various languages as metaphysica. It asks what exists, what it is like, and how it is possible for things to be as they are. Central concerns include ontology (the study of being and existence), substance and properties, causation, space and time, identity and change, modality (necessity and possibility), and the relations among mind, body, and world.

Metaphysics uses conceptual analysis, argumentation, and thought experiments to propose and test theories about the ultimate structure of reality. It intersects with logic, philosophy of science, and epistemology, and distinguishes speculative accounts from more formalized accounts in contemporary metaphysics, such as grounding, fundamentality, and the nature of laws.

Historically, metaphysics traces to Aristotle, whose Metaphysics laid the methodological groundwork, followed by medieval scholastic synthesis, early modern critiques (notably Kant’s critique of metaphysical reason), and later developments in analytic and continental traditions. In modern usage, metaphysica often designates the subject as taught in philosophy or as a field of inquiry rather than a single canonical text.

A note on reception: some philosophical currents challenge metaphysical inquiry as either meaningless or metaphysically speculative, while others defend it as essential to understanding reality, science, and moral thought.