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In the narrowest sense, '''Metaphysics''' is the science that [[Aristotle]] called "the [[Theology | theological science]]" (theologikê), because its ultimate object is the nature of [[God]], and "first philosophy" (prôtê philosophia), both because it concerns the first causes of things, and because, in his view, it is foremost in importance. It is now called 'metaphysics' from the [[Greek]] meta ta phusika, meaning literally 'beyond physics', because the book comes after the [[Physics (Aristotle)| Physics]] in the order assigned by an editor of Aristotle's works, [[Andronicus of Rhodes]], about the year A.D. 70.

'''Metaphysics''' is the branch of [[philosophy]] concerned with the fundamental nature of [[reality]].<ref>[http://www.rep.routledge.com/article/N095 Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy]</ref> It draws its name from from the [[Greek]] meta ta phusika, meaning literally 'beyond [[physics]]', because the book comes after the [[Physics (Aristotle)|Physics]] in the order assigned by an editor of Aristotle's works, [[Andronicus of Rhodes]], about the year A.D. 70.  The term metaphysics was unknown to Aristotle, and he variously called this branch of philosophy "first science", "[[wisdom]]" [[Theology|theological science]]" (theologikê) and "first philosophy" (prôtê philosophia)<ref>[http://www.seop.leeds.ac.uk/entries/metaphysics/ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy].</ref> Metaphysics includes topics such as philosophy of [[mind]], [[identity]], philosophy of [[space]] and [[time]] (including cosmogeny), [[free will]], and the difference between necessity and possibility.  

In a wider sense, Metaphysics refers to philosophical speculation of any kind, even when not strictly philosophical, such as [[Mysticism  | mysticism]] or [[New Age]].

In common usage, Metaphysics can also refer to philosophical speculation of any kind, even when not strictly philosophical, such as [[mysticism]] or [[New Age]]. [[T.G. Masaryk]] maintained that metaphysics is ''"just a small competing enterprise established by philosophy against [[theology]]".''<ref>{{cite book |author=Bohumil Sláma |title=Zapomenutý prorok Tomáš G. Masaryk |publisher=Atelier Sláma |place=Brno |year=2010 |page=97 |isbn=978-8025-484333 |url=http://books.google.no/books?id=ZkUHaAEACAAJ&dq=&redir_esc=y |quote=Metafyzika - nemám ten pojem rád, patrně že jsem takový nepoddajný empirik a praktik. V metafyzice lidé hledají bůhvíjaké hluboké a tajemné vědomosti, a zatím právě metafyzika, aspoň jak byla pěstována posud, je na obsah chudá, chudičká; je to jen malý konkurenční podnik, který si zřídila filozofie proti teologii. |language=Czech}}</ref>

 

 

 

[[Category:Philosophy]]

[[Category:Philosophy]]