Preview

Phl 215 Metaphysics Research Paper

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1050 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Phl 215 Metaphysics Research Paper
Mr. Ralph Kam

PHL/215 - Methods and Applications

July 15, 2003

Metaphysics

In philosophy, a term known as metaphysics, referred to the writings of Aristotle nearly three centuries after his death. Metaphysics is the area of philosophy that attempts to understand the basic nature of all reality, whether it is seen or indistinguishable we try to relate to our existence. It seeks a description so basic that it applies to everything, whether divine or human. In short, metaphysics attempts to enlighten what anything must be like in order to be at all. To call one a metaphysician in this traditional, philosophical sense indicates nothing more than his or her interest in attempting to discover what underlies everything. Old materialists, who said that there is nothing but matter in motion, and current naturalists, who say that everything is made of lifeless, non-experiencing energy, are just as much to be classified as metaphysicians as are idealists, who maintain that there is nothing but ideas, or mind, or spirit (Metaphysics, par 2). The major schools of thought in relation with metaphysics are realism, idealism, materialism, determinism, and libertarianism.
…show more content…
The representation of realism in art or literature of objects, as well as actions or social conditions as they actually are. Realism, quite simply is the act of being real. One displays realism when actions are taken without idealization or presentation in abstract form. There are two types of realism: scientific realism and objective realism. Scientific realists embrace that the characteristic product of successful scientific research is knowledge of largely theory-independent phenomena and that such knowledge is possible (indeed actual) even in those cases

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Phi 350 Metaphysics

    • 301 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Please write a 1250-1500 word essay in response to the prompt stated below. In writing…

    • 301 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Realism is a style that emphasizes documentary truth with minimal image manipulation. The illusion of an objective photographic world is maintained. Subject matter - the objective world, real people stories based on real experience. Technique - little or no photographic or editorial manipulation, naturalistic performances. Examples – The Edison and Lumière films. Linklatter’s, Before Midnight. Mike Leigh’s, Another Year.…

    • 2198 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Iwt Task 1

    • 1687 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Realism was painted to depict real life situations. It was developed by artists to create an illustration of common people and un-extraordinary circumstance. According to the facts in Wikipedia in regards to Realism, it was an attempt to be as photographic as possible without a camera. Realism was a revolt to the more emotionally driven Romanticism art where fantasy escaped onto canvas via the paintbrush. Realism is truthful, without fancy and ornamentation.…

    • 1687 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In American literature realism, is an approach that attempts to describe life without idealization or romantic subjectivity. Realism has been mainly concerned with the commonplaces of everyday life among the middle and lower classes, where character is a product of social factors and environment is the important element in the dramatic complications.…

    • 1806 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Metaphysics is the study of understanding what is real. There are many subcategories found within metaphysics, from the nature of human beings to the reality of truth. Francisco Suarez argued that metaphysics is the study of not just being, but _real_ being. He also posed that there is an overarching, abstract concept of being that applies to all beings. There is no difference in "Peter being and being Peter" (Kenny 637). All of this falls into the category of metaphysics. What is the world comprised of? Is this world that we can see, taste, touch and smell even real? There are arguments against the study of metaphysics. They contend that actual metaphysical knowledge cannot be gained. The two main arguments against metaphysics are Kant 's "Copernican Revolution" and logical positivism.…

    • 2086 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bicycle Thieves

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Realism, in the classic Hollywood tradition, is a variety of elements that creates a realistic but dramatic plot in a film. Due to the realistic elements of film, this also intertwines with Neorealism, which seeks to expose poverty…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Accuracy: Realism strives for total accuracy in the depiction of its subjects. Devoid of any unnecessary dramatics or artistic affectation. Realistic works refrain from undue embellishment, and strive for a natural tone (Vaux, 2012).…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    Metaphysics is usually taken to involve both questions of what is existence and what types of things exist; in order to answer either questions, one will find itself using and investigating the concepts of being. Aristotle proposed the first of these investigations which he called ‘first philosophy’, also known as ‘the science of being’ however overtime his writings came to be best known as ‘Metaphysics’ in which he studied being qua being with a central theme of how substance may be defined as a category of being. Kant who is a nominalist criticized both Aristotelian and therefore realists’ ideas of metaphysics by suggesting that they seek to go beyond the limits of human knowledge. Furthermore Kant argued that the structure of the world as it is in itself is unreachable to us; metaphysicians must be content to explain the structure of our thinking about that world. In this essay I will examine the two main exponents of such a doctrine in favor of realists by looking at the main differences of Metaphysics as Aristotle and Kant conceive it, which is centered on the all important question of whether metaphysics is a science of mind or of being.…

    • 2273 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nursing Philosophy

    • 1935 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Realism has an ontology which states that the structures creating the world cannot be directly observed. Its epistemology is that appearances do not necessarily reveal the mechanisms which cause these appearances, and its methodology therefore involves the construction of theories which can account for these appearances. Wainwright,S.( 1997).Realism, in the Aristotelian, holds that things and individuals have existence independent of human thought and that this extra-mental world is intelligible and forms a basis for evaluating propositions about the world. Whelton,B.(2002)…

    • 1935 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Metaphysics has been given many definitions over the years, Aristotle says that it is the science of being as being, or the study of everything that can be. Another definition given to metaphysics is the science of the most universal conceptions. My personal favorite would be metaphysics is the science of the most abstract conceptions. This, to me, is saying that metaphysics is the study of ideas real physics does not solve, things that cannot be measured by a gauge. Aristotle also said "The first science deals with things which are both separate (from matter) and unmovable." The study of things not made from any physical material, and cannot be removed from human life, such as: the human soul, or the existence of god. You can't touch, see, taste, smell, or hear these things; they exist only in the state of mind.…

    • 277 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Phil. 101 Metaphysics

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Philosophy stemmed from the early Greek religions and myths, in search for answers to their questions about life. From early B.C. till today people still have questions about life and after-life, what is real and what is reality. Philosophy has dozens of subdivisions within it, one being metaphysics. Metaphysics is the study of the nature of reality, and within metaphysics there are three more divisions materialism, idealism, and hylemorphism. Each philosopher fits into one category more then others. I have chosen to write about Aristotle, Plato, and Histories because I feel they each fit into a category with little confusion as to where they belong in metaphysics. Materialism falls all the way on the left of the spectrum. Materialism is defined as all reality is only and ever matter. This is the mindset of nothing happens after death, or if the tree falls and no one hears it there is no sound. I interpreted this as a pessimistic, dull outlook because it left little room for imagination. As I read Aristotle’s piece Metaphysics’ it really opened my eyes to materialism. On page one he says, “ A sign of this is out liking for the senses; for even apart from their usefulness we like them for themselves—especially the sense of sight, since we choose seeing above practically all the others, not only as an aid to action, but also when we have no intention of acting.” If one were to…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    ARTPROJECT

    • 267 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The realist movement in French art flourished from about 1840 until the late nineteenth century, and sought to convey a truthful and objective vision of contemporary life. Realism emerged in the aftermath of the Revolution of 1848 that overturned the monarchy of Louis-Philippe and developed during the period of the Second Empire under Napoleon III. Realism was based on direct observation of the modern world.…

    • 267 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Realism can be defined as a philosophical position that asserts the existence of an objective order of reality and the possibility of human beings gaining knowledge about this reality. Many teachers support the philosophy of realism and it is seen that the realist curriculum is highly valued in the field of present educational system. Realism believes that in order to teach students effectively, an overall curriculum is of utmost importance. According to Gutek, the Realism’s educational goals involve cultivation of human rationality thorough the organized bodies of knowledge and should frame their choices rationally and should be encouraged to define themselves accordingly.…

    • 526 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    1. Realism: Political Realism. Realism is an approach to the study and practice of international politics. It emphasizes the role of the nation-state and makes a broad assumption that all nation-states are motivated by national interests, or, at best, national interests disguised as moral concerns.…

    • 526 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Realisium in Shadow Lines

    • 1468 Words
    • 6 Pages

    According to the Oxford English Dictionary realism is defined as ‘close resemblance to what is real; fidelity of representation, the rendering of precise details of the real thing or scene.’ Phrases in the definition like ‘fidelity of representation’ or ‘rendering of precise details’ tends to show truth or reality to be a subjective matter (Morris). This leads us to believe that realism is then in fact a representation of someone’s reality which may not be someone else’s reality. Amitav Ghosh in his book The Shadow Lines (1988) dwells on reality as a construction, that is, reality as an individual creates it for him/herself. This paper will look at the construction of reality for us by the Author, narrator and the various other characters in the story and thus giving the reader the reality effect or realism.…

    • 1468 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays