Understanding Metaphysics: Plato, Descartes, and Beyond
Metaphysics: Key Concepts and Philosophers
Plato’s Dualism
Dualism: Plato: Plato viewed all that we can touch and feel in nature as constantly changing. He believed the world consists of a field that is always in flux. Everything is made from an eternal and immutable mold. These immutable patterns, or abstract models, shape our reality. Plato called these molds “Ideas.” He thought that true reality lies behind the world we perceive; this reality is the realm of Ideas. We can only gain true knowledge of the world through reason. Plato’s concept of the immutable and eternal contrasts with the mind-body problem, where he is dualistic, viewing the body as the prison of the soul. The world of Ideas cannot be perceived by the senses. Our senses are linked to the body, but we possess an immortal soul, the seat of reason. Therefore, the soul can perceive the world of Ideas. For Plato, all phenomena in nature are merely shadows or copies of these eternal Ideas.
Descartes’ Method of Doubt
Descartes: Concerned with the very possibility of human knowledge, Descartes introduced a new method called “doubt.” He applied doubt to everything except the personal conviction “I am thinking.” Based on this, he analyzed the relationship between the thinking mind and the world around it. He considered reality as divided into two types: res extensa (all material) and res cogitans (immaterial). The first group, including the body, is governed by the same mechanical laws as the universe, like a machine. The second group encompasses the soul, feelings, and will. Descartes held a dualistic view, believing the soul and body are independent realities connected by the pineal gland in the brain. He distinguished between three substances: infinite substance (God), thinking substance (soul), and extended substance (matter). He was a proponent of rationalism, believing in true and immutable principles called innate ideas.
The Origins of Metaphysics
Metaphysics: Before Aristotle, philosophers questioned the being of things, considering being the first and principal object of metaphysics.
Etymological Origin
Etymological Origin: The term “metaphysics” originated with Andronicus of Rhodes in the 1st century BC. He organized Aristotle’s works according to the Greek alphabet and grouped together works unrelated to physics, hence the name: “beyond physics.” Metaphysics can be understood as the branch of philosophy that studies a higher and transcendent reality (theology) and the being of things (ontology). Metaphysics radically questions what we claim to know about reality and thought.
Key Concepts in Metaphysics
Metaphysics Coordinates:
- Essence-Appearance: Essence (what does not change, what makes a thing what it is; the true reality). Appearance (sensible qualities that are changeable).
- Permanence-Change: Time (the Greeks considered the true reality to be that which does not experience change; the permanent). Change (that which is not permanent or static).
- Substance-Accident: Substance (the thing itself, its essence; the underlying reality). Accident (properties that can be acquired or lost without changing the substance). Aristotle distinguished between accidental change (change in property) and substantial change (change in essence).
- Power-Act: Power (what something can be). Act (what something is at a given time).
Spiritual Metaphysics
Spiritual Metaphysics: Explains knowledge and the foundation of reality from thought. Thought is the only means of knowing truth.