Metaphysical vocabulary

20 Metaphysical Vocabulary Words with Meanings and Examples

1. Ontology: The study of being and existence.

• Example: Ontology investigates questions about the nature of objects, properties, and events.

2. Epistemology: The study of knowledge.

• Example: Epistemology explores questions about what we know, how we know it, and the limits of our knowledge.

3. Metaphysics: The study of the fundamental nature of reality.

• Example: Metaphysics investigates questions about existence, time, space, and causation.

4. Substance: The underlying reality of things.

• Example: Descartes’ dualism posits that there are two kinds of substance: mind and matter.

5. Causality: The relationship between cause and effect.

• Example: Metaphysics investigates the nature of causality and whether it is deterministic or probabilistic.

6. Determinism: The belief that all events are predetermined by prior causes.

• Example: Determinism suggests that free will is an illusion.

7. Free Will: The ability to make choices that are not determined by prior causes.

• Example: Free will is a central concept in many philosophical theories.

8. Teleology: The study of purpose and design in the universe.

• Example: Teleological arguments for the existence of God suggest that the universe exhibits evidence of purpose.

9. Nihilism: The belief that life is meaningless and there is no objective purpose or value.

• Example: Nihilism suggests that all values are arbitrary and subjective.

10. Relativism: The belief that truth is relative to a particular culture or individual.

• Example: Cultural relativism suggests that there are no universal moral truths.

11. Absolutism: The belief that there are absolute truths that are valid for everyone.

• Example: Absolutism suggests that certain moral principles are universally true, regardless of cultural differences.

12. Idealism: The belief that reality is ultimately mental or spiritual.

• Example: Idealism suggests that the physical world is a creation of the mind.

13. Materialism: The belief that reality is ultimately physical or material.

• Example: Materialism suggests that everything in the universe is made up of matter and energy.

14. Dualism: The belief that there are two distinct kinds of substance, such as mind and matter.

• Example: Descartes’ dualism posits that the mind is a non-physical substance.

15. Monism: The belief that there is only one kind of substance.

• Example: Monism suggests that mind and matter are different aspects of the same underlying reality.

16. Phenomenology: The study of the structure of consciousness and experience.

• Example: Phenomenology explores questions about how we perceive and experience the world.

17. Existentialism: A philosophical movement that emphasizes the individual’s existence and their choices.

• Example: Existentialism explores questions about the meaning of life and the human condition.

18. Hermeneutics: The study of interpretation, especially of texts.

• Example: Hermeneutics investigates questions about how we understand and interpret meaning.

19. Postmodernism: A philosophical and cultural movement that critiques modernism and its emphasis on reason, progress, and universal truth.

• Example: Postmodernism challenges the idea of a single, objective reality.

20. Deconstruction: A philosophical method that analyzes texts to reveal their underlying power structures and hidden meanings.

• Example: Deconstruction challenges the idea that texts have a single, fixed meaning.