Questions tagged [metaphysics]
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the essence of things, of the fundamental nature of being and the world and the principles that organize the universe. Metaphysics is supposed to answer the question "What is the nature of reality?"
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What can a person not categorize in the process of his knowledge acquisition?
When a subject learns about the world and gets experience as a result, he builds his own mental representations - thereby essentially differentiating the world (that is, dividing it into abstract ...
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Metaphysical theories for why physics has the structure it has
The laws of physics have an extremely rich structure. The more fundamental you go, the more complex it becomes (e.g. Quantum Mechanics is more complex (no pun) than Newtonian mechanics). This ...
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How does Achille Varzi’s metaphysics avoid collapsing into Mark Heller’s Eliminativism
Achille Varzi is apparently a conventionalist about all kinds, natural and artifactual while being a mereological universalist who has a pretty permissive ontology. What keeps his position from ...
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What is the definition of real?
What is the definition of the word "real"? For example, we can all agree that Harry Potter and unicorns are not real, while Mount Everest and Mars are real. Some people even say ...
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Are laws separate “objects” or are they inextricably part of the universe?
This question came forth from a discussion I was having. Suppose that the universe is deterministic because of some laws. But those laws themselves exist for no reason.
Does this mean that the laws, ...
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Is physics in a way already inherently nonlocal?
Physical laws are mathematical constructs that define reality. However, given that they do define reality, we have a case where an abstract formalism defines reality in every corner of the world. Each ...
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Circularity in definition of Real
I'm having a hard time understanding the adjective 'real'.
In some sense, we get that x is real iff x is in reality. So to say that y is a real boy, is to say that y is a boy, and y is in the ...
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Does Multi-World Interpretation really eliminate randomness in quantum mechanics?
As I understood it, the Multi World Interpretation (MWI) was meant to avoid the problem of resorting to randomness, by replacing the random wavefunction collapse in Copenhagen Interpretation with ...
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Quid sit ego, what is the self?
From my little, torn, pouch of experiences, I present the following sentences, heard/read, it matters not.
My body
My brain
My mind
My soul
Suggests, ex mea sententia, that, the ego (self) is not an ...
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In what shape do opposites exist?
A common notion is that the opposite of “cold” is “warm” and that the opposite of “slow” is “fast”.
Would it be equally correct to say that the opposite of “cold” is “fast”?
How come that most people ...
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What is the relation between idealism and science?
My understanding of idealism is that it rests on the primacy of the mind and conscience over matter. The Encyclopædia Britannica provides the following "basic" forms of idealism:
The two ...
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What do philosophers think about the beauty?
When we see someone beautiful we understand what is beauty. The definition may not be absolute but it can be roughly defined. For example - symmetrical form may be considered beautiful. Fair color can ...
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Does Hume propose that causes might actually just be explained by coincidence?
Does Hume propose that what people interpret as casual connections could instead be explained by coincidence?
I want to know if this is an accurate understanding.
Hume says something to the effect of:
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Hume says we can't determine a causal connections between objects. Why separate the system into objects at all?
A summary of Hume's perspective is as follows:
When we reason about matters of fact to reach new conclusions, we use cause and effect: when a dropped ball hits the ground (observation), it bounces (...
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Omniscience leads to necessitarianism
You have probably seen these types of arguments before on incompatibility of omniscience and free will. The question is are these arguments valid and what can be a good refutation?
Let G= x is known ...
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Does the unobserved past exist in a super position
Does the unobserved past exist in a super position in the sense of quantum mechanics? Has anyone seen this question asked before? If the question is meaningful, what answer seems most likely. If the ...
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Does absolute eternality entail timelessness?
Assuming one is committed to the idea that an actual infinite amount of time can never pass, does eternality entail timelessness?
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Is necessary existence a property?
If existence is not a property then doesn't it follow that necessary existence is also not a property? If it is then why?
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Quality vs. Quantity
Suppose 2 hypothetical fruits A and B. A's mass is 10 g and B's mass is 15 g. In addition, A only contains vitamin A and B only contains vitamin B. Each vitamin A molecule weighs 200 picogram and each ...
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Are we lost in the details?
A hypothesis.
https://theworld.org/stories/2021-05-20/imagining-gaia-earth-one-great-living-organism
Simply put, the Gaia hypothesis says that Earth is a living system and uses similar mechanisms that ...
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Can we consider the multiverse as the capstone of the Copernican Revolution?
The Copernican Revolution was a major shift in our mindset as a species. No longer were we the special center of the universe. If we generalize this notion, we see it surface in many areas beyond ...
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What's the difference between noneism and abstractionism?
I know what noneists and abstractionists say the difference is, I just don't grasp the difference. Noneism and abstractionism are two approaches to objects like numbers, fictional character, ...
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Falsifiability of Assumptions
Karl Popper maintained that empirical sciences should be based on the principle of falsifiability rather than verifiability for no amount of observations can guarantee veracity but a single ...
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The Real Problem of Being [closed]
Suppose you come into existence as a human named Tom.
The Creator tells you the one and only rule of the universe: be who you choose to be.
This is fun. You design yourself, and you choose you hair ...
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Could Laplace's Demon be the universe itself?
Laplace proposed that a being that could know the state of the universe at one particular point in time and knowing all the laws governing that universe would be able to determine the past and future ...
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Do we live in a post-Meinong-versus-Russell/Quine world?
From a 2022 review of the collection Non-Being: New Essays on the Metaphysics of Non-existence:
This book argues, by omission, that we are in a post-Meinong-versus-Russell/Quine world. This is a ...
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What is the likelihood that human civilization is just a petri dish to an alien race? [closed]
Not to confuse with simulation theory, but how possible is it that we (humans) were placed/created on Earth by aliens to create an observable simulation of civilization?
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Applicability of Mathematics
Suppose that an alien civilization exists, in a planet somehow similar to our own (oxygen-based, plants, animals), in an evolutionary stage similar to ours (large cities, advanced communications, near-...
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It can be said that there exists that which can be hyperapproximatively thought or imagined, or even the "post-thought", "post-imagined"? [closed]
Continuation of the question -> meta-thought, meta-imagined and/or even the non-thought, the non-imagined?
As we know, in spirituality, someone says that all and everything is not just possible, ...
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Which mathematical operations leave the ontology invariant? [closed]
So usually one maps a math equation to an ontology in physics. Imagine me modelling a ball rolling up an inclined plane at an arbitrary angle. Now, the moment I make the inclined angle 90 degrees to ...
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On the linguistics of math affected by freewill?
After thinking more about: Daniel Dennett's concept of free will as an equation of state?
I am super confused about the linguistics concerning mathematics. For example, "take the limit of x ...
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How to understand the notion of majority when comparing infinite sets?
Suppose I make the argument:
It is very unlikely that in a naturalistic universe, the constants have life sustaining values, since the majority of metaphysically possible universes do not have such ...
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Daniel Dennett's concept of free will as an equation of state?
I was thinking of Daniel Dennett's concept of free will, in which he argues that our choices are the result of complex computations that take into account our desires, beliefs, and goals, as well as ...
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Can any part of existence be considered as information?
Can any part of existence be considered as information? I was thinking about it and anything that exist literally can be thought as information, but is there an exception to this rule? Is nothingness ...
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Understanding as conceptual
I am looking for references in the literature where people equate the process of understanding with conceptual activity. I will not be able to sketch it out exactly. My hunch is that there should be ...
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Can location be assigned to an entity, given a lack of length, depth, or width?
If one is to postulate an entity that has a complete or absolute lack of height, depth, and width, can such an entity be located anywhere? Or does attribution of location to an entity entail length, ...
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The Likelyhood Principle and Baysean Statistics
I am reading Kotzen's paper Selection Bias in Likelihood Arguments.
The author takes the following principle as a starting point:
I'm confused as to how to formalize this notion in terms of Bayesian ...
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In 'quantum immortality', what is "survival" meant to entail?
I'm aware that it's meant to be a reductio, but have read - I think - someone saying that quantum immortality (QI) is not much of a panacea just because we will often be horrifically disabled by the ...
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Is there a law stating impermanence of machines?
All livings beings take birth, age, and die. This is well understood as a Truth in philosophy through inductive argumentation. That begs a follow up question: is there any formulation of a Law based ...
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Question about Boltzmann Brain?
If all the memories contained within a Boltzmann brain were hypothetical, so would be the physical laws that enable its very existence; therefore, a Boltzmann brain wouldn't be able to explain itself?
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What's difference between idealism and spiritualism? [closed]
Question arises while I am studying religious philosophy.
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Is it possible that non-living systems possess consciousness?
This relates to the physical nature of matter, not to metaphysics. I cannot find a robust, universal definition of consciousness, so perhaps the question is meaningless. I am thinking of the behaviour ...
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What would be Gilbert Ryle's necessary and sufficient conditions for being a human being?
One of my students asked me this question and I can't answer it. I thought it was a great question. Any suggestions on an equally good answer?
(I'm not a trained philosopher, I'm a historian. I teach ...
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Please evaluate my argument about incompleteness theorem and first cause
Here is my argument:
One of the incompleteness theorems is
“If a system is noncontradiction, it is incomplete”
Incomplete means that there are propositions that are true but cannot be proven.
The ...
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What do you call something that determines the world [closed]
A computer and software determines a simulation, however, the world we don't know if it's a simulation or not, so let's assume that it's not a simulation, then what do you call something that ...
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Is there a philosophical doctrine that suggests that the soul endlessly travels between living organisms without being tied to space-time?
By the detachment of the soul from space-time, I understand the ability of the soul, after the death of the organism, to be reborn into anyone, anywhere and anytime. For example, the soul lived in a ...
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If we did have a proven 'Theory of Everything' from physics, would it help to know why there is a universe?
From a 2022 review by a philosopher, of a 2021 book I haven't read by a physicist, quoting from a 1998 book I haven't read by a physicist:
What’s Eating the Universe is undoubtedly a very interesting ...
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cause “for which all causal relations exist”
Suppose there is a cause “for which all causal relations exist”.
The cause exists before “all causal relationships exist.”
Before “all causal relationships exist,” causal relationships do not exist.
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Can findings in one science contradict those in another?
I'm new to philosophy and recently started reading some books on the field. I came across a statement that somehow I understood as saying the following propositions:
Truth is single and indivisible.
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If something is massless like light does it exist?
I'm asking: If something is massless does it exis? Because in Einstein's equation E=mc2 Einstein said and I quote: If something doesn't have mass like light it would move at the speed of light.
