Graphemes:
M – E – T – A – P – H – Y – S – I – C – S
→ 11 graphemes (letters)
→ Pronounced: /ˌmɛt.əˈfɪz.ɪks/ or /ˌmɛtəˈfɪzɪks/
→ The prefix “meta–” plus “physics” marks it as “beyond physics”—a term reflecting its transcendent scope and foundational inquiry
Morphemes:
Metaphysics is a compound formed from two core morphemes:
- meta- (Greek prefix) = “beyond, after, above”
- physics (from Greek physis) = “nature” or “natural order”
→ Metaphysics = “that which is beyond (or after) nature”
Not simply “beyond the physical,” but beyond the empirical scope of physical science—concerned with being itself, cause, identity, and possibility.
Etymological Breakdown:
1. Greek: metà tà physikà (μετὰ τὰ φυσικά)
→ “After the Physics” — the title given to Aristotle’s works that followed his Physics
→ Over time, the term metaphysics was reinterpreted as “beyond the physical”—not in order, but in essence
Aristotle’s Metaphysics explored substance, being, potentiality and actuality, and the causes underlying reality—laying the groundwork for Western ontology.
Literal Meaning (Philosophical Use):
Metaphysics = “The field of philosophy that explores the nature of reality, existence, causality, time, space, possibility, and identity”
→ Asks:
• What is existence?
• What does it mean for something to be?
• What lies beneath or before physical form?
Expanded Usage:
1. Core Branches of Metaphysics:
Ontology — The study of being
- What exists?
- What categories or kinds of things are there?
- What is the meaning of “is”?
Cosmology (philosophical) — The origin and structure of the universe
- Is the universe finite or infinite?
- Did it begin? What caused it?
Causality and Substance
- What are the causes of things?
- What is the essence of a substance?
Identity and Change
- What makes something the same over time?
- What is personal identity?
Modality — Possibility, necessity, and potentiality
- What could be?
- What must be?
Space and Time
- Are space and time real entities or conceptual frameworks?
- Is time linear? Does the future exist?
2. Metaphysics vs. Physics:
- Physics deals with measurable phenomena (motion, matter, energy)
- Metaphysics asks what makes those things possible, coherent, or necessary
- Physics describes how; metaphysics asks what and why
3. Influence and Integration:
- Theology — Is there a First Cause or Prime Mover?
- Epistemology — Can we know reality as it is?
- Ethics — What is the ground of value and moral being?
- Language and logic — What is the relation between word, thought, and being?
Related Words and Cognates:
| Word | Root Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Meta | Greek = “beyond, after” | Prefix denoting transcendence or abstraction |
| Physics | Greek physis = “nature” | Study of natural laws |
| Ontology | Greek ontos = “being” + logos = “study” | Study of existence |
| Theology | Greek theos = “God” + logos = “study” | Study of divine nature and existence |
| Philosophy | Greek philo-sophia = “love of wisdom” | Root field of all metaphysical inquiry |
Metaphorical Insight:
Metaphysics is the architecture of the invisible. It is not merely an abstraction, but a scaffold behind existence, a language for that which underlies language, a questioning of being before things are measured. If physics is the grammar of the universe, metaphysics is the logic that makes grammar possible. It is not anti-physical—but pre-physical, post-empirical, and trans-ontological—a mirror held up to reality, asking: “What is this mirror made of?”
Diagram: Metaphysics — From Natural Inquiry to Foundational Ontology
Greek: meta = “beyond” + physis = “nature”
Graphemes: M - E - T - A - P - H - Y - S - I - C - S
Morphemes: meta- (beyond) + phys- (nature) + -ics (study of)
↓
+------------------+
| Metaphysics |
+------------------+
|
+------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------------+----------------------------+------------------------------+
| | | | |
Being & Ontology Causality & Substance Identity & Change Space & Time Symbolic Insight
What is existence? What causes being? What persists or evolves? Is time real or relational? Scaffold of reality
| | | | |
Essence vs. appearance Prime mover, necessary being Continuity of self Absolute vs. relational space Mirror of foundations
Existence of universals Material vs. immaterial substance Flux and permanence Temporal logic Ground of coherence
Possibility of nothing First cause arguments Paradox of change Time as emergent Root of “is-ness”
Being vs. becoming Actuality vs. potentiality Identity over time Infinity and finitude Precondition of all physics