NAME------------------------------------- Akomolafe Oluwatoba Michael

COURSE TITLE--------------------- Metaphysics

THESIS DESCRIPTION-------- Assignment
LECTURER-IN-CHARGE----- Prof. Olatunji Oyeshile

WHAT IS METAPHYSICS AND IN WHAT WAY DOES IT

TRAVERSE ALL ASPECT OF PHILOSOPHY?

Background
By way of definition, philosophy is an academic discipline that exercises reason and logic in an attempt to
understand reality and answer fundamental questions about knowledge, life, morality and human nature. It is critical
and comprehensive, the most critical and comprehensive manner of thinking which the human species has yet
devised. As a critical and comprehensive process of thought, philosophy involves resolving confusion, unmasking
assumptions, revealing presuppositions, distinguishing importance, testing positions, correcting distortions, looking
for reasons, examining worldviews and questioning conceptual framework 1. Instead of being treated as a single,
unified subject, philosophy is traditionally broken down into a number of branches which are metaphysics-the study
of ultimate reality, epistemology-the study of knowledge and its acquisition, ethics-the study of moral conduct and
logic-the study of good reasoning. Of all these fragmentations of philosophy, metaphysics shall be the pivotal of the
work.

WHAT IS METAPHYSICS?
Metaphysics concerns the nature and description of an Ultimate Reality that stands behind the world of appearances.
One dominant strand holds that we can somehow come to know a world that exists undetected by our sense
perceptions and unexplained by the natural operation of causes and effects. Unfortunately, our powers of sensation
and perception reveal to us only a partial survey of the contingent universe unfolding around us and within us. We
are part of that unfolding process, no doubt, but we have profound limitations in what we can do and what we can
know. We are radically limited in our contact with the universe, and it is hard to see how, in our embodied state, we
can overcome these limitations. Despite all that our sciences have done to inform us of realities unknown to sense
perception or nave common sense, we are unable, using the normal touchstones of truth, to argue convincingly for
the character of Ultimate Reality or for Beings that exist in a supersensible or supernatural world 2. Hence, to
navigate this terrain, the knowledge of metaphysics will suffice.
Metaphysics has been regarded as the most basic but yet the most controversial part of philosophy. The subject has
been the focus of attention throughout the history of philosophy. Some philosophers have considered it as the most
important of all subjects while some have criticized it as a meaningless enterprise 3. In order to appreciate the basic
issues that constitute the subject matter of metaphysics, we must go back to the ancient Greek philosophers who
invented the subject. The word Metaphysics derives from two Greek words, meta which means after and
physika which means physics (or nature). Thus the word metaphysics literally means after physics and it was
first used by Andronicus of Rhodes, the editor of Aristotles works 4. Aristotle had some treatises on physical
matters which bore the title, physics. He also had some other treatises dealing with non-physical matters, but without
a title. In his arrangement of Aristotles works while editing them for publication, Andronicus placed the treatises
dealing with non-physical matters, after those dealing with physical matters. He did not know what to call them; so
he simply called them after physics metaphysika. That is, the treatises that comes after those dealing with
physical matters which bore the title physics. This was the origin of the word, metaphysics. Mautner captured the
scenario thus: When Andronicus of Rhodes, the tenth Head of the Lyceum, edited Aristotles works, the fourteen
books dealing with the first philosophy, were placed after the books on physics and were accordingly called
metaphysics 5.
Eventually after physics came to be understood as beyond physics, that is, beyond the physical world, and
metaphysics came to be understood as the discipline dealing with realities beyond the physical world. This
understanding of the word is not quite accurate because it is not only realities that are beyond the physical world that

metaphysics deals with. As a branch of philosophy, it is the study of the totality of being, that is, the nature and
structure of reality as a whole. According to Brain Carr the ambition of metaphysicians is,
to reveal the true nature of reality, its contents and structure,
to place man within the cosmos in his relation to other kinds
of things and to his creator, to determine mans duty to
himself and to God, and the true route to happiness..6.
Brown Thomas defines metaphysics as the philosophical study whose object is to determine the real nature of
things- to determine the meaning, structure and principles of whatever is, in so far as it is. Aristotle called it first
philosophy or again the science which studies Being qua Being. Plato called it Dialectics and it is the core of
his philosophy. For him, metaphysics is the study of reality as distinct from appearances 7. Bradley, an outstanding
metaphysician of our time, combines both the Aristotelian and Platonic concepts of metaphysics when he said:
we may agree, perhaps, to understand by metaphysics, an attempt
to know reality as against mere appearance, or the study of first
principles or ultimate truths, or again, the effort to comprehend
the universe not simply piecemeal or by fragments but somehow
as a whole 8.
On the whole, metaphysics as distinct from other disciplines, studies realities in their essences and universality
while other sciences study realities in their particularity.
Basically, metaphysics can be subdivided into three branches which are; ontology, cosmology and the universal
science. And these three branches became the traditional branches of this subject. These branches can be briefly
looked into as follows:
Ontology
Ontology is a branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of existence as we know it, answering questions of what
things exist in the world. Many philosophical problems fall under problems in ontology. Questions like whether or
not there is a god or existence of people or things in the world. It pertains to say what there is, what exist, and
general features and relations of these things are. A problem with ontology is that its not only unclear what there is
but how to solve question on what there is. It provides criteria for distinguishing different types of objects like

existent and nonexistent as well as real and ideal. Ontology also distinguishes the relation and predication of the
matter 9.
Cosmology
Cosmology is another subfield of metaphysics and is the scientific study of the origin, evolution, and structure of
the universe. Cosmology in the modern day has given us insight on the structure, origin, and evolution of the
universe using recent technological advances. Modern cosmology is in the middle of science and philosophy,
asking fundamental questions about the universe from observation and rational explanations 10.
Universal Science
Aristotle believed that universal science, the study of first principles, was the foundation of all other philosophical
enquiries. Universal science can be described as the basic tenets that underpin all sciences, fundamental to all
sciences but with no specificity linking them to a particular branch of science. They include Aristotle's three laws of
thought: The law of identity (an object is the same as itself), law of non-contradiction (one cannot say of something
that it is and that it is not in the same respect and at the same time) and law of excluded middle (ambiguity can arise
from the use of ambiguous names, but cannot exist in the facts) 11.

HOW DOES METAPHYSICS TRAVERSE ALL ASPECT OF PHILOSOPHY?

The first phase of this work has done justice to the conceptual cum historical analysis of what metaphysics is. However, the
task here is to analyze how pivotal metaphysics is to other branches of philosophy and philosophy as a whole. It must be noted
that metaphysics as a branch of philosophy has been seriously maligned by history as several authors have made efforts to
show the inadequacies of metaphysics as a viable branch of philosophy. Positivism, phenomenalism, skepticism, and
associated neo-Humean views, etc. have radically rejected metaphysics 12. However, the fact that metaphysics still persists in
the light of its supposedly elimination and the sense in which contemporary philosophers are returning to metaphysics with
renewed interest shows how indispensable and fundamental the subject is to philosophy as a whole. Metaphysics is as old as
philosophy itself as metaphysical assumptions and concepts can be seen in the works of philosophers throughout the ages:
from the pre-Socratic to contemporary period.
It has been pointed out that metaphysics is the most fundamental and comprehensive branch of philosophy. It is fundamental
in the sense that its inquiries touches on those beliefs upon which other beliefs are derived and it is comprehensive because as
opposed to the physical science which study particular aspects of reality, metaphysics is concerned with the totality of being

as opposed to the physical sciences, which study particular aspects of reality, metaphysics is concerned with the totality of
being and existence 13. Metaphysics ranks as one of the core branches of philosophy, after epistemology, ethics and logic. The
word core is deliberately used here to underscore the point that metaphysics is such a fundamental area of philosophy as
distinct from the applied areas such as philosophy of science, philosophy of law, philosophy of education etc. The intention is
not to belittle these areas of philosophy, but rather to show the centrality of metaphysics in the programme of philosophy since
no such curriculum can hardly be complete if it omits metaphysics.
Metaphysics has been described as the kpim (essence) of philosophy. Kpim answers the question of the quiddity, fundamental
meaning, content, and sense of any given reality. Kpim is the kernel or the hard-core of something, the central focus. It is what
makes a thing what it is, its underlying and therefore most important aspect

14

. It is impossible to talk about philosophy

without metaphysics and vice-versa. It has been argued that philosophy basically pursues three separate but related inquiries in
its endeavour to answer fundamental questions. These are: 'what is?' 'What is the nature of reality? and 'what are the grounds
of valid beliefs?' 15. Yet these are perennial problems of metaphysics. And in justification of metaphysics being the core of
philosophy, Kwame Gyekye asserts that "whatever is often regarded as perennial problems of philosophy are mostly
metaphysical in character" 16. Richard Taylor also wrote: "One's philosophical thinking, if long pursued, tends to resolve itself
into basic problems of metaphysics" 17.
It is a fundamental position that metaphysics permeates through all other branches of philosophy. Metaphysics is an inquiry
about how to know the true beginnings and unity of the cosmos, or reality, our conceptions of the universe and our
relationship to it, and what thought is. To embrace this realm of inquiry, metaphysics thus fall into two divisions, the first is
"ontology" (the ultimate problem of Being and Reality), the second, "epistemology" and between these two lies the
fundamental principles of philosophy, ethics, aesthetics and logic. Basically epistemology is the other principal division of
metaphysics, because almost any department of knowledge can be traced to the metaphysical speculations. For instance in
metaphysics, we speculate over what knowledge is; can man know the true nature of reality? And that what we perceive may
be merely what our consciousness conjures up from the vibrations of the external world which impunge themselves upon our
senses and the sensations which they in turn produce 18.
'Truth' as an epistemological concept has its logical equivalence in 'Reality', the primary concept of all metaphysical concepts.
Truth and falsity in logic can be viewed from a metaphysical perspective "because truth or falsity of propositions depends on
the notion of 'being' or 'non-being' 19. It is easy to see that the world of science, the world about which there is, true knowledge
cannot be restricted to objects actually existing but must include all their possible functions and arrangement. Logical
principles are not independent of truth since its studies those truths which hold for everything 20.
Also behind works of arts or aesthetic features lies metaphysical phenomena and images, most in particular, moral or spiritual
teachings, that is, motives which are unverifiable. Most concepts of aesthetics such as beauty, poetry, music, design, prose,

painting, and the like are fundamentally metaphysical in nature. In aesthetical judgments, people talk of 'intention', 'emotion',
'truth to fact', 'meaning', 'imagination' and many others 21.
Metaphysics permeates into the fabric of ethics too. Behind every moral issue lies an element of metaphysics. Moral concepts
like 'good', 'evil', 'bad', 'right', 'wrong', 'freedom', 'determinism' are all metaphysical in nature by virtue of their being nonempirical both by definitions and contents. No amount of science or measurement can quantify 'wrongness' or 'feelings'. The
importance of metaphysics in the teaching of morality is aptly illustrated by D.F. Pears when he wrote that:
metaphysical systems have usually led to new moral insights; for to show
the nature of reality was to show the place of man in nature, and
therefore his proper duties and purposes, it was to show the way to his
salvation, to the kind of knowledge that would set him free from his
ordinary interests and pre-occupation 22.
Thus, if man is to live; he must choose to think; he must choose to hold life as his standard of value; he must discover the
specific values that his life requires. Reason is man's basic means of survival, so the life appropriate to him is the life
appropriate to man as a rational being. Reason is the faculty that identifies and integrates the material provided by man's
senses. With this system of ethics, rationality is man's foremost virtue and the source of all his other virtues, and accordingly,
evasion, the refusal to think, the suspension of his consciousness, is man's basic problem 23. The importance of metaphysics as
it relates to human moral values cannot therefore be overemphasized. Since this is the case, metaphysics is very important to
the social life of human beings.
From the foregoing, it has been made manifest that metaphysics is the core of philosophy has its speculation permeates every
sphere of philosophy. It (metaphysics) is fundamental to the continuity of philosophy. Even when we say philosophy develops
out of wonder, one tends to ask, "wonders about what? simply it is the wonders of mostly phenomenon which cannot be
explained empirically. This shows that metaphysics is the kpim and the cornerstone of philosophy. To express how pivotal
metaphysics is to philosophy, Ozumba holds that:
Those who are clamoring for the elimination of metaphysics are also
calling for the crucifixion of philosophy. Philosophy without
metaphysics is a corpse and any eulogy to philosophy that has been
divested of metaphysics is like a requiem hymn that is sung to the
corpse of the dead 24.
Even science or scientific knowledge cannot be said to be totally experiential. For their contain, within its system, certain
unobservable entities like proton, electron, electromagnetic waves etc. The import of this is that metaphysics traverse even
beyond philosophy to other disciplines.

I will therefore conclude that those who are calling for the elimination of metaphysics from the compass of philosophical
thought just because they couldnt understand its modus operandi need to remove their veil of ignorance to understand the
indispensability of metaphysics.

ENDNOTES
1 John Harries. (2015). What is Philosophy?. Retrieved from: http://www.whatisphilosophy.net
2 Jeff Mason. (2008). What is Metaphysics?. Retrieved from: http://blog.talkingphilosophy.com/?p=322
3 Bamikole, L.O. (2006). Metaphysics. In M.F. Alonge (Ed.), Philosophy and Human Existence (pp.99).
Lagos: Newsletter Limited.
4 Omoregbe, J. (2006). Metaphysics Without Tears: A Systematic and Historical Study. Lagos: Joja
Educational Research and Publisher Limited. P. 23
5 Mautner, T. (Ed.). (1996). Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy. London: Penguin Books.
6. Carr, B. (1987). Metaphysics: An Introduction. London: Macmillan Education Ltd. pp. 1
7. Brown, Thomas. (1981). Metaphysics. in Millar James (Ed.). The New Encyclopedia Britannica
(15th ed. Vol. 24). New York: Henry Hooper Franklin Inc. pp 1-26.
8 Bradley, F. H. (1987). Quoted by Grice, H. P. in Pears, D. F. (ed.). The Nature of Metaphysics. New
York: Macmillan publishing Company.pp.2
9. Carl Caporale, M. (2014). Principal Issues in Metaphysics. Retrieved from
http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/Metaphysics-648534.html.
10. ibid
11. Dorothy Emmet. (1961). The Nature of Metaphysical Thinking. London: Macmillan. pp. 9
12. Kolawole Owolabi. (2000). Issues & Problems in Philosophy. Ibadan: Stevart Graphics. pp, 88)
13. Dada S.O. (2006). An Overview of the Branches of Philosophy. In M.F. Alonge (Ed.), Philosophy
and Human Existence (pp.35). Lagos: Newsletter Limited.
14. Pantaleon Iroegbu. (1995). Metaphysics, The Kpim of Philosophy. Owerri: International Universal
Press. pp. 373-374.
15. A.J. Ayer. (1936). Language, Truth and Logic. London: Camelot Press. Pp.25.
16 Kwane Gyekye. (2001). An Essay in African Philosophical Thought. New York: me Gyek. Pp.24
17 Cf. Richard. (1962). Metaphysics. New York: Parentice Hall, Inc. pp 1.

18 Ayo Fadahunsi. (2000). Metaphysics: Its Nature. In A.O. Kolawole (Ed.), Issues and Problems in
Philosophy (pp.98). Ibadan: Stevart Graphics.
19 Morris R. Cohen and Ernest Nagel. (1963). Introduction to Logic and Scientific Discovery. London:
Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd. Pp.187.
20 Ibid., 188
21 Fadahunsi, OP. Cit., pp.99
22 D.F. Pears. (1965). The Nature of Metaphysics. New York: St. Martins Press. Pp35-36.
23 John Hospers. (1956). An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul
Ltd. Pp.356.
24 G.O. Ozumba. (2001). The Philosophy of Logical Positivism and the Growth of Science. Calabar:
Bacos Publication. p.9

BIBLIOGRAPHY
John Harries. (2015). What is Philosophy?. Retrieved from: http://www.whatisphilosophy.net
Jeff Mason. (2008). What is Metaphysics?. Retrieved from: http://blog.talkingphilosophy.com/?p=322
Bamikole, L.O. (2006). Metaphysics. In M.F. Alonge (Ed.), Philosophy and Human Existence (pp.99).
Lagos: Newsletter Limited.
Omoregbe, J. (2006). Metaphysics Without Tears: A Systematic and Historical Study. Lagos: Joja
Educational Research and Publisher Limited.
Mautner, T. (Ed.). (1996). Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy. London: Penguin Books.
Carr, B. (1987). Metaphysics: An Introduction. London: Macmillan Education Ltd.
Brown, Thomas. (1981). Metaphysics. in Millar James (Ed.). The New Encyclopedia Britannica (15th
ed. Vol. 24). New York: Henry Hooper Franklin Inc..
Bradley, F. H. (1987). Quoted by Grice, H. P. in Pears, D. F. (ed.). The Nature of Metaphysics. New
York: Macmillan publishing Company.
Carl Caporale, M. (2014). Principal Issues in Metaphysics. Retrieved from
http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/Metaphysics-648534.html.
Dorothy Emmet. (1961). The Nature of Metaphysical Thinking. London: Macmillan.
Kolawole Owolabi. (2000). Issues & Problems in Philosophy. Ibadan: Stevart Graphics.
Dada S.O. (2006). An Overview of the Branches of Philosophy. In M.F. Alonge (Ed.), Philosophy and
Human Existence (pp.35). Lagos: Newsletter Limited.
Pantaleon Iroegbu. (1995). Metaphysics, The Kpim of Philosophy. Owerri: International Universal Press.
A.J. Ayer. (1936). Language, Truth and Logic. London: Camelot Press.
Kwane Gyekye. (2001). An Essay in African Philosophical Thought. New York: me Gyek.
Cf. Richard. (1962). Metaphysics. New York: Parentice Hall, Inc.
Ayo Fadahunsi. (2000). Metaphysics: Its Nature. In A.O. Kolawole (Ed.), Issues and Problems in
Philosophy (pp.98). Ibadan: Stevart Graphics.

Morris R. Cohen and Ernest Nagel. (1963). Introduction to Logic and Scientific Discovery. London:
Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd.
D.F. Pears. (1965). The Nature of Metaphysics. New York: St. Martins Press.
John Hospers. (1956). An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul
Ltd.
G.O. Ozumba. (2001). The Philosophy of Logical Positivism and the Growth of Science. Calabar: Bacos
Publication.