Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that examines the fundamental nature of reality, including the relationships between mind and matter, substance and attribute, and possibility and actuality. The term originates from the Greek words "meta" (meaning "after" or "beyond") and "physika" (meaning "physical"), referring to the position of a collection of Aristotle’s works that were traditionally arranged "after the Physics" in compiled editions.
As a discipline, metaphysics seeks to answer general questions about existence and reality, such as: What is ultimately real? Do abstract entities (e.g., numbers, properties) exist independently of the mind? What distinguishes objects through time? Key subfields include ontology (the study of being and existence), cosmology (the study of the origin and structure of the universe), and theories of modality (concerning necessity and possibility).
Central topics in metaphysics include identity, causality, time and space, free will, and the nature of objects and their properties. Historically, metaphysical inquiry has been central to both Western and non-Western philosophical traditions. Classical contributors include Plato, Aristotle, René Descartes, Immanuel Kant, and more recently, W.V.O. Quine, David Lewis, and others who have advanced analytic metaphysics.
Metaphysics should be distinguished from pseudoscientific or occult interpretations with which the term is sometimes conflated in popular culture. In academic philosophy, metaphysical claims are evaluated through logical analysis, conceptual rigor, and coherence with established knowledge, rather than empirical testing, which falls primarily under the domain of the natural sciences.
The field remains active in contemporary philosophy, with ongoing debates over realism versus anti-realism, the metaphysics of persons, and the implications of developments in physics and cognitive science for traditional metaphysical categories.