What assumptions about the nature of space, time, the mind and matter undergird the scientific consensus today? What are the limits of scientific knowledge? Previously a part of the scientific mosaic, metaphysics reveals our beliefs about knowledge and the nature of being that are the starting points for any scientific endeavor.
Key Terms:
- Metaphysics
- Metaphysical naturalism, or empirical metaphysics
- Materialism
- Epistemology
- Essentialism
- Rational intelligibility
Thumbnail: Призма. Photo Credit: Ivan T. CC BY 2.0.
Learning Materials:
3.4.1 Worldviews: Metaphysical Components
What are the assumptions and beliefs that undergird the science of our time? (Sunny M5/"Sunset")
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3.4.2 Avicenna and the Mind-Body Problem
Is the mind and spirit distinct from matter? (eltpics/"Flying Man")
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3.4.3 Why Science Needs Metaphysics
Science can't tell us whether science explains everything. (Fir0002/"Red sunset")
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3.4.4 Metaphysics of Metamorphosis
Can methodological naturalism offer insights into reality beyond what is material? (Paul Horner/"Butterfly")
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3.4.5 The Great Chain of Consciousness
Do all things possess awareness? (David Baxendale/"Golden Eagle Hunters")
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3.4.6 Science and Theology: Where the Consonance Really Lies
It is at the level of culture that the truly irreconcilable conflicts between science and theology are found. (J C Casado/"M31 Galaxy")
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