The study of the nature of reality Metaphysics The study of the nature of reality

PoPeye Studies Descartes

Metaphysical Questions What is reality? Why is there something and not nothing? What is a being? What is a person? Am I free? Is there a supreme being?

Metaphysical Questions Who am I? Why am I here? Where did I come from? Where am I going?

Definitions Metaphysics: the philosophy of being which seeks to answer questions about existence. Metaphysics: study of questions about the world left unanswered by the natural sciences, such as those regarding First Causes; Laws of the Universe; Mind/Body; Freedom/Determinism. First used by Aristotle who wrote first his Physics (concerning the physical world) and the Metaphysics (beyond the physical world).

2 Foundational Principles Principle of non-contradiction - no real being can both be and not be at the same time and in the same respect. Principle of sufficient reason: every being has the sufficient reason for existence in itself or in another. It is not possible for something to be its own cause (otherwise it would violate the Principle of non-contradiction). Every being that does not possess the sufficient reason for its own existence in itself must have an efficient cause (necessarily extrinsic to itself).

Theories Common Sense Realism What people perceive under ordinary conditions is reality. Weakness in this argument – common sense is often driven by ignorance/laziness rather than by seeking the truth

Theories Idealism George Berkeley 18th Century Denies existence of material things Reality is ideas and the minds that hold these ideas “Esse est percipi” (“to be is to be perceived”) Objects are ideas that God placed in humans

Theories Platonic Realism Reality is ideal forms or ideas that are timeless, unchanging, immaterial, and more perfect than the world of changeable things Forms in the World of Being __________________________ Things in the World of Becoming

Theories Materialism or Physicalism Pre-Socratic Philosophers Everything is physical; Reality consists of matter. Matter – particles in motion and forces like gravity.

Theories Monism Reality is one all encompassing thing All particular things are expressions of this one thing Things can be material or mental Baruch Spinoza argued it could also be divine String Theory – everything is composed of one-dimensional strings of energy Materialism and Idealism are Monists Theories

Theories Dualism Descartes Reality consists of two things: Mind and Matter Interactionism is a common version of dualism Mind and Body co-exist as separate entities

Materialism versus Dualism Man is simply an animal, and brains are simply chemical systems No soul Humans are like computers. Dualism Mental is separate from Physical Mind and Soul can pre-exist the body and survive bodily death Dualists believe in the afterlife, and the paranormal

Discussion Questions What do you think is really real? What is ultimate reality? Why is there something rather than nothing? Are you a materialist or a dualist? Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going? Do we have a mind distinct from the body? Or is the mind simply brain states? Are we free?