Is the branch of philosophy which deals with questions regarding reality and existence?

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Inhaltsverzeichnis Show

• What is the Meaning of Life?
• What is Metaphysics?
• The Big Metaphysical Questions
• MetaphysicalAbstractions
• Key Elements of a Rational Metaphysics
• Step 1: Assess
• Step 2: Research
• Step 3: Assess
• Step 4: Mindmap
• What is the branch of philosophy that deals with questions of reality and existence?
• What branch of philosophy is defined as the theory of reality?
• What is a branch of philosophy which deals with correct reasoning?
• What is the branch of philosophy that deals with moral questions and dilemmas?

Challenging the meaning of life is the truest expression of the state of being human.

~ Viktor Frankl, psychiatrist

What is the Meaning of Life?

Shield your eyes from the subsiding amber glow of the setting sun.

Peer into the vastness of the night sky.

Gaze down at a newborn child as it sleeps in its cot.

Wake up suddenly at 2:00am in the darkness of your room.

At moments like these - moments when you are confronted with the realization that we are but very small beings in a very large universe - you may find yourself questioning the meaning of our existence. Indeed, with so many people from all walks of life, all cultures, and all faiths seemingly sharing in this quest for meaning - this search cannot be coincidental. Perhaps it is even part of being human.

As you have probably noted so far in our exploration of Philosophy, it is the study of issues often “beyond the physical.” Philosophy at its heart is a search for knowledge and understanding.

However, as we have often seen during our explorations into Philosophy, knowing, belief, and understanding are not the same thing.

Take the ‘meaning of life,’ for example. Is there any question more common to the human existence?

On October 26, 2017, Pope Francis of the Catholic Church, made a phone call to the crew of Expedition 5253 aboard the International Space Station. In the twenty minute phone call, Pope Francis asked the astronauts:

“As you’re contemplating the undoubted limits of the universe, it makes us think about where we come from and where we’re going. In light of your experiences in space, what are your thoughts regarding the place of man in the universe?”

To this, Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli admitted that the complexity of the Pope’s question regarding where we come from, left him “perplexed”:

“I think that our objective here is that of knowing our being and to fill our knowledge to understand what’s around us. But on the other hand, an interesting thing is that the more we know, the more we realize how little we know.”

You can watch the full twenty minute streamed call below through NASA TV:

Metaphysical questions are fundamental to philosophical inquiry and are everywhere in this course. Given that you are now beginning to think philosophically, respond (in a hundred words or less) to the question: 'What is the meaning of life?'

• How do you understand this question?
• What does ‘meaning’ consist of?
• How do you define ‘life?’
• What ‘evidence’ supports your position?
• If you were asked to empirically prove the validity of your statement, could you?

Archive your findings to your Philosopher’s notebook.

What is Metaphysics?

First and foremost, metaphysics is concerned with the fundamental nature of reality. Not in the same way that other disciplines, like Physics, deal with physical reality, but ‘reality’ in a more abstract manner. Metaphysics is the branch of Philosophy that deals with concepts of reality such as being and identity, mind and matter, substance and existence, cause and effect, time and space - aspects of reality, but not always in a tangible, concrete, empirical form.

Let’s take this even further.  When we break down the word ‘metaphysics,’ we see it is the combination of two words:

• Meta, meaning ‘over and beyond.’
• Physics, meaning ‘the knowledge of nature.’

So, in essence, the study of metaphysics goes ‘over and beyond the knowledge of the natural world.’

It is for this reason that metaphysics can be considered the pursuit of wisdom as it involves searching beyond empirical evidence for truth, purpose, and meaning in life. Indeed, in this respect, one may consider that metaphysics is the foundation of Philosophy, itself.

The Big Metaphysical Questions

From the very beginning, humankind has posed questions for which there seems to be no definitive answer.

• What is the meaning of life?
• What is our place in the universe?
• What is consciousness?
• Does the world really exist?
• Why is there something, rather than nothing?
• Do we have free will?
• Does God exist?
• Does any of this - even my act of questioning - actually matter?

These are what we consider to be the ‘big’ Metaphysical questions - and, as you have probably recognized from Unit 1, these are the same, or similar, questions that are the very core of Philosophy.

Metaphysics aims to provide a way for us to "fill in the blanks" regarding Philosophy's greatest questions - albeit in ways that are not exactly empirical, testable, or provable. Hence, metaphysics has often been described by its critics as being overly vague as it claims that everything about the universe can be known through reasoning alone - yet its reasoning is based on abstractions. (definition:Something that exists only as an idea.)

Long Description

Key Elements of a Rational Metaphysics

While metaphysics explores the abstracts of reality and existence, a key element to a metaphysical worldview is that Reality is absolute. The world around us is real - it has a specific nature and it must be consistent to that nature - it acts according to that nature.

The degree to which our worldview is sound is the degree to which we are able to comprehend the world, and act accordingly. Without this firm foundation, all knowledge becomes suspect. Any flaw in our view of reality will make it more difficult to live. For example, if we were not sure if the floor in our bedroom were real or an illusion, how willing would we be to get out of bed? How would we know the difference between dreaming and waking? Healthy skepticism is all well and good, but at some point you have to decide that something must be real in order to function effectively in this world.

Aristotle, in his fourteen books devoted to metaphysics, originally split his theories into three main sections, and these remain the main branches of metaphysics to this day:

• Ontology is the study of being and existence, including the definition and classification of entities, physical or mental, the nature of their properties, and the nature of change;
• Natural Theology is the study of God, including the nature of religion and the world, existence of the divine, questions about the creation, and the various other religious or spiritual issues; and
• Universal Science is the study of first principles of logic and reasoning, such as the law of noncontradiction(definition:One of the basic laws in classical logic, it states that something cannot be both true and untrue at the same time.).

The scope of metaphysics has expanded greatly beyond the boundaries Aristotle initially drew. Certainly, he could not imagine a world of Quantum Physics, emerging Artificial Intelligence, and questions regarding the existence of a multiverse beyond a Black Hole, but the very nature of metaphysics - to pose abstract questions about reality beyond the physical limits of nature and science - is still very much relevant.

The big questions about existence: our existence and our understanding of reality - are the cornerstone of Metaphysical reasoning.

Now that you have been introduced to metaphysics and the abstractions that it explores, it is time to summarize your learning by focusing on how you may utilize metaphysical reasoning in a more visceral manner - by seeking pathways to answering some of those fundamental questions in Philosophy.

Your Task:

How would you go about answering some of the fundamental questions of reality and existence when there is no empirical proof to sway you from one side to another? Is it a matter of belief or following a ‘gut instinct’ that tells you - like Sherlock Holmes - that “the absence of evidence is evidence of absence, not proof of absence?” Can one find a ‘concrete’ answer through the use of an abstraction?

To assist in such an assessment and to synthesize the information presented in this activity, you will create a diagram - a mind-map, flowchart, or infographic - that demonstrates your understanding of the various aspects and characteristics that define and connect theories concerning metaphysics.

Follow the steps below to complete the task.

Step 1: Assess

Below are the main Metaphysical questions you were introduced to in this activity. Choose five out of the possible eight, as the ‘backbone’ or nodules of your diagram. You will attempt to answer them through examples that illustrate how the abstractions of metaphysics can be used to ‘prove’ the realities of human existence.

Step 2: Research

For each of the five questions that you seek to explain through metaphysical reasoning, you will need to decide which three abstractions would provide a route to understanding. For example, if you were to seek answers to whether we have Free Will, would exploring Determinism, Spirituality, and Cosmology be the most appropriate pathways to knowledge? If so, why and how? Which philosophers would support a specific abstraction? What theories use those particular abstractions to validate their line of inquiry? And to bring the philosophical reasoning down to earth, what real world examples could you use to support a particular line of reasoning? For example, are there newspaper reports, blogs, shared memes in social media, photojournalism, transcripts from interviews, or anecdotal stories that demonstrate that others use those same abstractions to ‘prove’ their point? In short, you are seeking examples that demonstrate the abstraction in your reasoning process.

Step 3: Assess

Once you have your examples, make connections between the metaphysical question, the abstractions, and these real world examples, by answering the following questions:

• While metaphysics is often criticised for being vague, how do some of the abstractions manifest themselves in the real world? How common is it for people to express their doubts and their hopes through these abstract concepts? Demonstrate the connection by highlighting any common or recurring examples of abstract metaphysical reasoning that appear on your diagram.
• Is there a certain situation or environment that makes metaphysical questioning more prominent? Hypothesize as to why this may occur.
• As follow-up to the previous question, do metaphysical inquiries - even when one may not use that term specifically - require a certain level of life experience? For example, sudden questions related to finding meaning and purpose in life used to be called a ‘mid-life crisis’ - somewhere around the age of forty-five and fifty for the Baby Boomers and Generation Xers. It is now becoming popular for the Millennials to speak of a ‘quarter-life crisis’ at the age of twenty-five. Why the vast difference in ages? What has changed in our society that the quest for meaning and purpose seems to be occurring at a much younger age?
• Refer to the findings you noted in your Philosopher's Notebook during the Minds On section when you were asked to define the meaning of life. How did you and your classmates plan on validating your statements? How many of you used abstractions to ‘prove’ your point? Does this prove that even with no available empirical proof, we are willing to put our faith into conjecture and probabilities, rather than be left rudderless in our quest for meaning?
• What guides your own personal inquiries into existence and meaning? What directs your personal compass/gps? While the search for meaning and purpose seems to be common to all humans, is it necessary? Or is it futile?
• In a brief paragraph, summarize your research by presenting your assessment of metaphysics in the real world. Can having answers that are based on ideas rather than empirical proof, satisfy such deep, and often personal, inquiries? Are some questions just unprovable? For some questions to which we may never know a definitive answer is it enough to have simply an understanding of the possible answers?

Remember to make direct reference to the material and examples you will include in your diagram. Also, ensure that you archive all of your resources as you are required to provide them in APA format with your finished diagram.

Step 4: Mindmap

Create your mindmap, flowchart, or infographic. You will use a digital application such as Mindomo or Prezi, or your favourite.

Your diagram may include an image or visual for each term, but is not required. Do ensure that visually, you define the connections between the metaphysical questions, real-world examples, and abstractions, whether that is through colour, theme, or connecting lines between terms and examples.

What is the branch of philosophy that deals with questions of reality and existence?

What branch of philosophy is defined as the theory of reality?

What is a branch of philosophy which deals with correct reasoning?

What is the branch of philosophy that deals with moral questions and dilemmas?