English
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Etymology
From L. metaphysica < Byzantine Greek polytonic|με�α���ικά (metaphusika) < AGr. polytonic|με�ά (meta) "after" + polytonic|���ικ�� (phusikos) "natural". The word derives from the title of the collection by Aristotle "με�ὰ �ὰ ���ικά" (after the natural things).

Pronunciation
IPA|/m�t��fɪzɪks/
AHD|m�'t�fĭziks

Noun
en-noun|-

1. philosophy The branch of philosophy which studies fundamental principles intended to describe or explain all that is, and which are not themselves explained by anything more fundamental; the study of first principles; the study of being insofar as it is being (ens in quantum ens).

#:Philosophers sometimes say that metaphysics is the study of the ultimate furniture of the universe.

1. philosophy The view or theory of a particular philosopher or school of thinkers concerning the first principles which describe or explain all that is.

#:The metaphysics of Thomas Aquinas holds that all real beings have both essence and existence.
#:In Aristotelian metaphysics physical objects have both form and matter.
#:In his Pensées, Pascal mentioned some first principles recognized within his metaphysics: space, time, motion, and number.

1. context|by extension from the philosophical sense Any fundamental principles or rules.

#*1990, Lance Morrow, "Gorbachev: The Unlikely Patron of Change," Time, 1 Jan,
#*:The metaphysics of global power has changed. Markets are now more valuable than territory.

1. The study of a supersensual realm or of phenomena which transcend the physical world.

#:I have a collection of books on metaphysics, covering astral projection, reincarnation, and communication with spirits.

1. A displeasingly abstruse, complex written work on any subject.

#:This political polemic strikes me as a protracted piece of overwrought, fog shrouded metaphysics!

Derived terms
metaphysical
metaphysician
metaphysicist

Related terms
physics
philosophy
natural philosophy

Translations
trans-top|branch of philosophy that studies first principles
Chinese: 形��学 (xíng ér shàng xué)
Catalan: metafísica f
Dutch: metafysica
Esperanto: metafiziko
Finnish: metafysiikka
German: Metaphysik f
Indonesian: metafisika
Interlingua: metaphysica
trans-mid
Japanese: 形��学 (��������, keijij�gaku)
Korean: ����
Latin: metaphysica f
Norwegian: metafysikk
Polish: metafizyka f
Portuguese: metafísica f
Scots: metapheisics
Slovene: metafizika f
Spanish: metafísica f
trans-bottom

Category:Philosophy

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• 2007-10-24 19:13 - AutoFormat - trans link [[Scots]]

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