First philosophy
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of human understanding. Some philosophers, including Aristotle, designate metaphysics as First philosophy to suggest that it is more fundamental than other forms of philosophical inquiry.
Metaphysics encompasses a wide range of general and abstract topics. It investigates the nature of existence, the features all entities have in common, and their division into categories of being. An influential division is between particulars and universals. Particulars are individual unique entities, like a specific apple. Universals are general features that different particulars have in common, like the color red. Modal metaphysics examines what it means for something to be possible or necessary. Metaphysicians also explore the concepts of space, time, and change, and their connection to causality and the laws of nature. Other topics include how mind and matter are related, whether everything in the world is predetermined, and whether there is free will.
Metaphysicians use various methods to conduct their inquiry. Traditionally, they rely on rational intuitions and abstract reasoning but have recently included empirical approaches associated with scientific theories. Due to the abstract nature of its topic, metaphysics has received criticisms questioning the reliability of its methods and the meaningfulness of its theories. Metaphysics is relevant to many fields of inquiry that often implicitly rely on metaphysical concepts and assumptions.
The roots of metaphysics lie in antiquity with speculations about the nature and origin of the universe, like those found in the Upanishads in ancient India, Daoism in ancient China, and pre-Socratic philosophy in ancient Greece. During the subsequent medieval period in the West, discussions about the nature of universals were influenced by the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle. The modern period saw the emergence of various comprehensive systems of metaphysics, many of which embraced idealism. In the 20th century, traditional metaphysics in general and idealism in particular faced various criticisms, which prompted new approaches to metaphysical inquiry.
“First philosophy,” a term originating with Aristotle, refers to the study of being as being and its fundamental principles, causes, and highest truths, a field commonly known as metaphysics. It seeks to understand the most fundamental aspects of reality that are not dependent on any other thing. While Aristotle identified it with the study of “being qua being” (being in and of itself), later philosophers, such as René Descartes in his Meditations on First Philosophy, used the term to describe their foundational philosophical projects, which aimed to establish certain knowledge through rigorous doubt and reason.
Aristotle’s “First Philosophy”
- Being as Being: Aristotle’s first philosophy investigates the nature of existence itself and the things that are fundamental. [1, 2]
- First Principles and Causes: It is concerned with the most universal causes and principles (archai) that underlie all other phenomena. [2, 10]
- Metaphysics: The term became synonymous with metaphysics, which is the branch of philosophy that deals with fundamental questions about the nature of reality. [3, 11]
Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy [5]
- Foundational Project: Descartes used the title to signify his attempt to build a secure foundation for all human knowledge by stripping away beliefs that were not absolutely certain. [5, 8]
- Radical Doubt: He employed a method of radical doubt, questioning the reliability of the senses and all existing beliefs to find an indubitable starting point. [5, 8]
- Cogito, ergo sum: Descartes arrived at the famous conclusion “I think, therefore I am” (cogito, ergo sum) as a foundational truth, demonstrating that the act of thinking proves the existence of the thinking self. [8, 12]
In essence:
“First philosophy” is a concept from ancient philosophy that was reinterpreted and utilized by early modern thinkers to describe their foundational inquiries into the nature of reality, knowledge, and existence. [2, 5, 8]
AI responses may include mistakes.
[1] https://www.britannica.com/topic/first-philosophy
[2] https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-metaphysics/
[4] https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137367907_4
[5] wikipedia/en/Meditations_on_First_Philosophy
[6] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Meditations-on-First-Philosophy
[7] https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-epistemology/
[10] https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/0-271-01330-3.html