What is Metaphysics

BEHOLD! To a mathematician this is proof, to a Physicist this is a ruler and to the religious this is a message from God.

Metaphysics is about ultimate questions, such as; being, identity, knowledge, time and space. Investigations into the underlying nature of these are discussed through two sub-disciplines:

1. Ontology - What exists and its causes.
2. Epistemology - What can be known or demonstrated.

Metaphysical propositions consider the abstract but fundamental aspects of concepts and attempt to reduce the consequences down to a brute fact. This final reduced property is something that can not be assumed by any other proposal and is known as a first principle.

Reducing concepts to a first principle unfortunately leads to consequences that are inconclusive or worse yet irresolvable in antonyms. This is because any statement regarding the nature of being requires some self prediction about the nature of knowing, such as ‘I know’ or ‘I think’.

What proceeds is an irreconcilably circular, yet complementary, dialogue between the sub-disciplines of ontology and epistemology. Because of this metaphysics is often considered vacuous enquiring by logicians and verificationists.

Unfortunately, despite the circularity and antonyms, it is an inexorable fact that ALLproposals ultimately reduce to metaphysical claims.

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While existence itself is considered a primitive notion - conceived of through itself, whenever we attempt to further reduce reality into an all encompassing principle, in particular something with physical qualities, we find there are only two metaphysical options available. Conspicuously these are perfect contradictions:

1. Material Pluralism - That there is a plurality of discernible and therefore necessarily separated identities… Strictly speaking in multiplicity ‘everything’ is flux itself and ever changing, with identity swapping between being (existence) and becoming (non-being).
2. Material Monism - Reality or the universe is strictly speaking ‘all that exists’ or simply Being. This inherently denies non-existence, therefore flux, because non-being can’t exist and is therefore also unknowable. Thus, all becoming (because it involves a process of non-existence) must be illusory.

When we consider these two options in their strictest terms we realise there is no knowledge available in either holistic or pluralistic universes, this is due to the absence of either discernible or stable identity, because sensibility and intelligibility require both discernment and stability, yet in strict monism these are exclusive of each other.

Because we can experience sensible existence, and that we find this intelligible it means we concede that - even in the one there must be many and in the many there must be one(s).This also implies that fundamentally particulars must partake in universals and a universals must partake in particulars.

However this concession means we are denied an irreducible description of reality and knowledge that is complete and consistent.