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.

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