métaphysique

Metaphysics, or métaphysique in French, is the philosophical study of the fundamental nature of reality, seeking to answer questions that lie beyond the reach of empirical science. It investigates what exists, how entities are structured, and what it means for something to be, to occur, or to persist through time. Core concerns include existence, objects and their properties, space and time, causation, modality (possibility and necessity), identity, and the relation between mind and matter.

The tradition begins with Aristotle, who distinguished substances from their properties and sought first principles. In medieval philosophy, metaphysics was developed within scholasticism, blending theology with metaphysical analysis. In modern philosophy, Kant argued that certain metaphysical questions are conditioned by the structures of human experience, while later thinkers debated whether metaphysics can achieve knowledge or remains a set of rational perspectives. The 20th century saw diverse approaches: analytic metaphysics emphasizes clear arguments about ontology, mereology, grounding and modality; continental approaches explore phenomenology, existential questions, and process philosophy.

Key subfields include ontology (the study of being and categories), cosmology (the study of origins and structure of the universe), the nature of time and persistence, identity and change, causation, universals versus particulars, and the mind–body problem. Contemporary debates often focus on grounding (what makes some facts the fact that they are), modal realism, the status of properties, and whether time's flow is real or illusory. Metaphysics interacts with science, theology, and epistemology, while remaining distinct in its emphasis on questions that lie beyond empirical testing.