Metaphysicam

Metaphysicam is a hypothetical philosophical discipline dedicated to the systematic investigation of the most fundamental aspects of reality. It aims to articulate a coherent framework for analyzing ontological commitments, the nature of being, substance, identity, modality, causation, time, space, and grounding. The term blends the prefix metaphys- (beyond or after physics) with a suffix signaling a formal field of study within philosophy and science.

The term emerged in contemporary theoretical discourse as scholars sought to unify traditional metaphysical questions with formal methods from logic and cognitive science. Proponents describe Metaphysicam as a meta-theory that evaluates how different metaphysical claims fit with empirical constraints and theoretical virtues such as simplicity, explanatory power, and coherence.

Metaphysicam employs conceptual analysis, formal modeling (modal logic, temporal logic, and, where appropriate, category theory), and comparative phenomenology. It also uses interdisciplinary inputs from physics, cognitive science, and computer science to assess intuitions about possible worlds, causation, and modality.

Key topics include grounding and dependence, identity and persistence over time, universals and particulars, essential versus contingent properties, and the nature of time and space. The approach emphasizes clarifying disputes by mapping competing positions into a common framework and testing them against formal criteria.

Reception and critique of Metaphysicam note that it is a nascent framework, with debates about calculability, falsifiability, and the role of empirical data in metaphysical theorizing. Supporters argue that it offers a disciplined route to coherent metaphysical theories; critics caution against over-formalization.

Related topics include metaphysics, ontology, modal logic, grounding, and the philosophy of science.