Philosophy, metaphysics. --- .This section is about metaphysics. Topics include: ( ) Category systems. ( ) Language and metaphysics. ( ) Logic and metaphysics. ( ) Science and metaphysics. ( ) Things. --- 1/24/2006
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- (1) Physical things either exist or do not exist. Science proves the facts. (2) Ideas are an interesting and important area of metaphysics. The idea world. The birth of ideas and attitudes in an individual mind, and in a culture. The creation of words to name ideas. --- 12/29/1997
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- (1) To think of an idea makes that idea a reality. (2) We think using language. Therefore language creates a reality to some degree. (3) To name something makes it a concept or category. (4) The meanings of words are always changing. Therefore our concepts are always changing. Therefore (perceived) reality is always changing. (5) To some degree, reality is what we perceive it to be. (6) These are all arguments grounded in Continental philosophy. --- 9/15/1998
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Categories. (1) The unimaginable. The unthinkable. The incomprehensible. The illogical. The ineffable (vs. anything we can imagine, or comprehend or sense). (2) The as yet unthought of (whether true or false) (ex. future inventions and theories). The unknown. (3) The thought of (whether true or false). The thought of and forgotten. (4) The unsayable (whether directly or indirectly). (5) What was and will never be again. (6) The impossible to be. --- 08/07/1993
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Categories. Logic and math, philosophy and science (methods), technology, arts (communication), religion. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Category systems. (1) All category systems and classification systems are metaphysical systems (2) Category systems and arguments pro and contra mine or anyone's (3) Categories and maps: mine vs. others. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Category systems. (1) Matter: physical sciences. (2) Life: biological sciences. (3) Mind: biology and psychology. (4) Society: social sciences. (5) Religion: lack of evidence. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Category systems. (1) Philosophy and science: ways of being (psychology). (2) Art and technology: types of things. (3) Behavior, action, and practice. (4) Sociology, communication. --- 01/08/1994
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Category systems. A knowledge map is (1) An assertion of the metaphysical nature of reality. (2) An ethical assertion about what's important in life. (3) An way of organizing the mind. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Category systems. Everything. (1) Everything that exists. (2) Everything that exists, existed, and will exist. (3) The universe. (4) Reality. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Category systems. Knowledge Maps are category systems, done here in outline form, done originally as maps or pictures. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Category systems. Old and out of date maps vs. current maps. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Category systems. Other people's categories or classification system maps. (1) Artistotle's categories. (2) Dewey decimal system. (3) Library of congress classification. (4) Roget's Thesaurus. (5) Encylopaedia Britannica Propaedia. (6) College course catalogs. (7) Quote books. (8) Textbooks. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Category systems. Paul current maps: total reality, natural world, world of man (social groups), world of individual, world of Paul. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Category systems. Perspectives: total, natural, social, individual. Sociology: humans in general, or any specific society. Individual: anyone in general, me, or any other specific individual. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Category systems. Relationships of the subjects. Effects of and on each other. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Category systems. Thinking: what are the most important subjects to think about, by perspectives, (see contents by importance)? --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Category systems. Thinking. I want to know: (1) Everything about everything. (2) Everything about most important things. (3) Most important things about everything. (4) Most important things about most important things. (5) Most important things to live. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Concepts: mind, matter, cause/history/change, time and space, self/person/identity, reason/thinking, emotions. --- 06/30/1993
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Epistemology of Metaphysics. Types of tests, proofs, arguments, methods, inquiry for existence of x, and nature of x. (1) Logical proofs (words). (2) Mathematical proofs. (3) Scientific proofs (empirical evidence). --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Everyday metaphysics. (1) Creating, deleting, and renaming categories. Names, words, and their definitions (2) Changing category relationships. (3) Creation of ausblikt (point of view) or weltanshaung (world view). --- 02/15/1997
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Existence and probability: chances it will come to be. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Existence and time: did exist, does exist, will exist. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- History of metaphysics. (1) History of existence of things. (2) History of philosophy of same. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Language and metaphysics. (1) Language (your vocabulary) limits what and how you can think about? (2) Language (your vocabulary) limits what you can talk about? (3) Language (your vocabulary) limits your world? (4) "The limits of my language is the limit of my world.", to quote Ludwig Wittgenstein. (5) Defining x (see also language). (6) What is it, and what is it not. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Language and Metaphysics. (1) Naming is the process of creating logical and useful categories? We see things, we name them. Where is the complication in metaphysics? (2) Everything with a name doesn't always exist. (3) New words for new things or ideas. (4) Every time we create a new word, the metaphysical status of the world changes (6/28/93). --- 06/12/1993
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Logic and metaphysics. Metaphysics is an exercise in set theory. --- 08/07/1993
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Magic, myth, religion and their relation to metaphysics. It does not pay to believe in things that do not exist, no matter how much people would like them to exist. See: Religion section. --- 11/17/2005
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Metaphysics as traditionally formulated and defined and construed is really only of historical importance and value. The existing areas of interest in metaphysics are really better attacked by physicists and psychologists. --- 8/8/1998
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Metaphysics consists of the sciences plus everything else; physical things, mental things, supernatural things. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Metaphysics is a joke today. Metaphysics is an outmoded subject worthy only of study for its historical importance. Science killed metaphysics. Each subject area should handle its own metaphysics. We should disband metaphysics as a subject in philosophy due to it being so meager. --- 9/15/1998
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Metaphysics is about objective (real) and subjective (psychological) categories, classifications, relations, and associations of ideas or concepts (simple to complex), expressed as words and language, which depend on semantics or meaning. --- 05/03/1994
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Metaphysics is becoming an outdated term. In the past, a hundred years ago, if one was discussing everything, all reality, not just science alone, nor philosophy alone, nor art alone, one might say that one was discussing metaphysics. However, today, one is much less likely to use that term. The way academic philosophy departments use the term "metaphysics" is hopelessly outdated. Another related vocabulary problem is that the term "metaphysics" is increasingly being coopted by huckster new-agers to refer to just about any figment of the imagination. The way new-agers use the term "metaphysics" is hopelessly vague and ambiguous. Thus I do not like to use the term "metaphysics" because I find it not very useful, being that it confuses more than it clarifies. --- 11/15/2001
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Metaphysics problems. (1) Denial of existence of things that are. (2) Imagining things exist that do not. I.e., believing in the non-existent. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Mind and metaphysics. An attitude (thought + emotion) is a thing. A new attitude is a new thing. A new attitude can change the way we think about everything else. --- 11/15/2001
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Modern metaphysics. (1) Physics. Space and time. Matter and energy. Void, vacuum, space. Atoms and molecules. (2) Biology. Life. DNA. Self-replicating. (3) Consciousness. Self-aware. --- 6/7/2004
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- New words for new stuff and new ideas. All information we add about x changes our metaphysical view of x. It can grow. Every book is a change in world metaphysics. Or every book creates its own metaphysical world. The way things are vs. the way we think they are. --- 06/30/1993
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Questions about metaphysics (in general) vs. metaphysical questions (about things). --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Questions. List of metaphysical questions. (1) What exists and what doesn't exist? (2) What is real and what isn't real? (3) Does x exist? Is x real? (5) Purpose of x. (6) Origin, development, decay, death, of x. (7) Past, present, future (destiny) of x. (8) Causes and effects of x. (9) What is (ultimate nature of) x? (10) What is true? (11) Why am I here (ethics)? (12) What does it mean to exist (to be)? (13) What does it mean to be alive? (14) What does it mean to be human? (15) What does it mean to be me? (16) What's life all about? (17) What the hell is going on? (18) "What's It All About, Alfie?" as sung by Johnny Matthis. (19) "What's Going On?", as sung by Marvin Gaye. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Realism vs. anti-realism. PART ONE. Realism vs. anti-realism in all areas. (1) Real. Physical stuff is real. Utterances about unicorns are real. Thoughts, emotions and mental images of unicorns are real. (2) Not real. Imaginary. Unicorns themselves are not real. PART TWO. Realism and antirealism in mathematics. (1) Real. Groups of physical objects are real. Written symbols of numbers are real. Utterances about numbers are real. Thoughts, emotions and mental images regarding numbers are real. (2) Not real. Imaginary numbers (ex. square root of negative two), are they real or not? PART THREE. Realism and antirealism in science. Theoretical constructs that we do not have evidence for are not real? Things that we have evidence for but have never seen (ex. electrons), are they real? PART FOUR. Realism and antirealism regarding the symbols used in logic, math and language. They are real symbols. They are written down on paper. They refer to real things? Not always. Example: fictional characters are imaginary. PART FIVE. Realism and antirealism regarding particulars and universals, or concrete and abstract. (1) The particular and concrete are real physical objects, made of matter and energy. Time and space, are they real? They are relative on a large scale. They break down on a small scale. (2) The universals are ideas only. Things that are ideas only are imaginary. --- 1/1/2004
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Relationships of metaphysics to other subjects or other branches of philosophy. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Science and Metaphysics. (1) Things may exist which we have not discovered or invented or thought of. (2) Everything thought to exist does not necessarily exist. Example, ghosts or other wrong theories. (3) All information we gain about "x" changes our metaphysical view of "x" and the world. Every time we discover a new fact or even a new hypothesis, the metaphysical status of the world changes. --- 01/01/1993
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Science and metaphysics. The most accurate picture of reality (what exists, and what does not) has been achieved by science. Empirical data, describe, explain, predict. Ethics (esp. social policy) should be based on science, and scientific data. Philosophy is just clean up. --- 11/29/1993
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Science and metaphysics. What can science do that metaphysics can not? What can metaphysics do that science can not? --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Science and metaphysics. Where (which subject areas and views) has metaphysics philosophy been definitively replaced by scientific discovery? Where does metaphysics definitively still reign? Where is there still big debate between both? --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Situations and metaphysics. (1) What exists in your situation? (2) What is happening in your situation? (3) What is about to or going to happen in your situation, as it progresses now, or given any change? --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Some arguments in metaphysics. (1) Things are not the way they seem. (2) The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. --- 10/30/1994
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Some metaphysical views. (1) Nothing exists; the world don't exist; we don't exist vs. something does exist; the world exists; we exist. (2) Things that exist or don't. Things that we know about or don't. Things that affects us (directly/indirectly) or not. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- The basic test for existence is does it affect our lives? But belief in ghosts can affect our lives, so belief in ghosts is real, but not ghosts. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- The most important metaphysical topics are not those of physics (matter and universe). The most important metaphysical topics are the nature of man (mind, evolutionary psychology, sociobiology, rights); society (micro-sociology and macro-sociology); and the biological environment. --- 1/25/1999
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- The old topics of academic philosophy metaphysics are fading. New topics are taking their place as important. The new metaphysics: (1) The virtual, digital world. (2) The online worldwide network. (3) Biology-machine combinations. (4) Digital immortality. (5) Intelligent machines. (6) Human as information. (Doxastic information (belief) and emotional information). (7) Cloning. (8) Life extension. Longevity. Physical immortality. (9) The Environment. Changing views of nature. End game scenarios. (10) Collapse of time and space due to communication and transportation advances. (11) One world language. (12) Other planets. Other life. (13) Epistemology. Putting heads together: (A) Face to face. (B) Online in real time. (C) Reading. (D) Discussion, debate and argument among people is the best way to make progress. It is the fastest, and it generates the most views. --- 11/27/1999
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- There are many things that have traits of all of the following: (1) A business: when someone tries to do it for profit or make a living at it. (2) A technology. Practical approaches. (3) An art. When it can't yet be scientifically formalized. (4) A science. When it can be partially scientifically formalized. (5) A philosophy. A general view of the subject. (6) A history. A chronological side. (7) A question mark. For the unknown side. (8) If this is so, then things are pluralistic, made of parts that are related to each other, like a web. --- 7/14/2002
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- There is the real world and the imaginary world. The imaginary world includes things like mistaken beliefs, false statements, works of fiction, lies, dreams, hallucinations, etc. --- 11/15/2001
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things exist because we can all see and feel them. We give them names which mean the things. Where is the complication? --- 06/30/1993
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. "X" any thing (see also psychology: x in general). Definitions of x. (1) Origin, nature, purpose, qualities, structure, mechanism. (2) Name it, describe it, explain it (causes, effects). --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. (1) Mental phenomena: emotions, thoughts, memories, new ideas, questions, etc. (2) Physical things: brain states, neuronal states. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. (1) Reality (physical and mental?). (2) Universe, cosmos (physical), world/earth, life, humans, me. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. (1) The thought and the unthought. (2) The named and the unnamed. (3) The spoken and the unspoken. (4) The acted and the unacted. (5) The experienced and the unexperienced. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. (1) Things that were and will never be again. Unobserved by humans. Lost forever. Beauty faded. (2) If a tree falls and no one observes it, did it fall? Solipsism? --- 9/15/1998
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. (1) What was and will never be again. (2) What is. (3) What is yet to come. --- 01/01/1993
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Change, time, age. Birth, origin; develop, growth; stagnation; decay; death. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. General vs. specific. Abstract vs. concrete. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Ideas, words, and actions. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Is the earth real? Well, it sure feels cold and hard. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Metaphysical classifications. Parts of life, today or always. Eat, sleep, fu*k, wash, shit. Psychology/sociology. Work/leisure. Health/welfare. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Metaphysics (or sociology) as business. Everything is business? Deals, exchanges, contracts, and promises. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Metaphysics of physical sciences (see physics). Space and time, matter and energy, and forces. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Mind, body, soul (?). --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Natural vs. manmade. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Organic (capable of life) vs. inorganic (incapable of life). Animate vs. inanimate (same as above). (2) Alive vs. dead (previously alive). --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Reality vs. illusion. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Situation theory. States, situations, environments, relationships, events, qualities or characteristics. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Spatial order (structure). Temporal order (cause and effect). --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Subjective (perceived) vs. objective (actual). --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Supernatural, other worldly, spirit, god. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. The possible and the impossible. The undiscovered and the undiscoverable. The uncategorized and the uncategorizable. --- 01/01/1993
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. The self (see: Psychology, personality, self identity). Who am i? Who speaks? Problem of change of self through time. I think therefore I am (Descartes). I feel pain, therefore I exist. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. The unborn, do they exist? --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. The uncategorized, the uncategorizable, and new categories. --- 04/30/1993
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. The unperceived. If a tree falls and no one hears does it exist? --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Things that exist (1) Only as ideas. (2) As ideas and physical objects (the unnamed). (3) As ideas, physical objects, and words (the named). --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Things. Total (reality) is sum of nature, socio-cultural systems, individuals, me. --- 12/30/1992
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Three things: There is everything that exists outside our heads. Secondly, there is the way we think or "mentalize". Thirdly, there is the way we talk (communicate) about everything, including our thoughts, by using language (and other media). PART TWO. Three problems: New ideas do not necessarily generate new words. Secondly, new words do not necessarily generate new ideas. Thirdly, new things existing outside our heads do not necessarily generate new ideas or new words. (Imagine if the above three problems were not so. What kind of world would that be?) PART THREE. Any combination of change among the above three things is possible: If the actual thing, the mental perception of the thing, and the word for the thing all change in sync then no problem. If none of them change then no problem. If any one of them change but the other two do not change then that is a problem. If any two of them change but the other one does not change then that is also a problem. --- 11/15/2001
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Two metaphysical mistakes. (1) It is a mistake to think something exists that does not exist. (2) It is a mistake to think something does not exist that does exist. --- 11/17/2005
Philosophy, metaphysics. --- Why is metaphysics important? In the middle ages people believed in ghosts and wasted a lot of time in fear. The concepts we use to explain and think about the world are important. They can be wrong or incomplete (half right). --- 08/30/1993