Metaphysics Overview

Metaphysics

• Metaphysics explores the fundamental nature of reality
• Core topics include: Ontology (existence), Cosmology (universe), Time and Space, Mind-Body Problem, Free Will vs. Determinism
• Key concepts include: Substance (basic entities), Attribute (properties of substances), Potentiality and Actuality (possibility and realization), Essence and Existence (intrinsic nature and external existence), Causality (cause-and-effect relationships)
• Theories and positions include: Monism (one fundamental substance), Dualism (two fundamental substances), Pluralism (multiple fundamental substances), Panpsychism (consciousness in all entities), Emergentism (complex systems exhibit novel properties.)
• Influential metaphysicians include: Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, René Descartes, Plato, and David Hume
• Contemporary debates include: Physicalism vs. Non-Physicalism, Determinism vs. Indeterminism, Emergentism vs. Reductionism, Panpsychism vs. Emergentism, Multiverse Hypothesis
• Key texts include Aristotle's "Metaphysics"

Ethics

• Ethics explores principles, values and norms for human behavior
• Key categories include Metaethics (nature of ethical judgments), Normative Ethics (moral rules and principles), and Applied Ethics (specific issues like bioethics)
• Ethical theories include: Utilitarianism (maximizes overall happiness), Deontology (emphasizes duties and obligations), Virtue Ethics (focuses on character traits), Consequentialism (judges actions by outcomes), and Non-Consequentialism (prioritizes motives and principles)
• Key ethical principles include: Respect for Autonomy, Non-Maleficence, Beneficence, Justice, and Veracity
• Ethical frameworks include: Moral Absolutism (universal rules), Moral Relativism (cultural factors), Principled Ethics (balances competing principles), and Care Ethics (prioritizes empathy)
• Influential ethicists include: Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir
• Key texts include: Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics", Immanuel Kant's "Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals", John Stuart Mill's "Utilitarianism", Jean-Paul Sartre's "Existentialism and Humanism", and Simone de Beauvoir's "The Ethics of Ambiguity"

Politics

• Politics in philosophy explores governance, power, justice, and civic life
• Branches include Classical Political Philosophy (ancient Greek and Roman thought), Modern Political Philosophy (17th-19th century thinkers), and Contemporary Political Philosophy (20th-century debates)
• Key concepts include: Justice (distributive, retributive, restorative), Liberty (negative vs. positive), Equality (formal vs. substantive), Power (authority, coercion, persuasion), Legitimacy (right to rule), and Rights (natural, human, civil)
• Major theories include Social Contract Theory, Utilitarianism, Liberalism, Communitarianism, and Anarchism
• Influential philosophers include Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Rawls, Michel Foucault, and Hannah Arendt
• Key texts include Plato's "The Republic", Aristotle's "Politics", Thomas Hobbes' "Leviathan", John Locke's "Two Treatises of Government", Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "The Social Contract"

Aesthetics

• Aesthetics in philosophy explores beauty, taste, art, and creativity
• Branches include Classical Aesthetics (ancient Greek and Roman), Modern Aesthetics (18th-20th century thinkers), and Contemporary Aesthetics (current debates)
• Key concepts include Beauty (objective, subjective, relational), Taste (personal, cultural, universal), Art (definition, purpose, value), Creativity, Aesthetic Experience, and Aesthetic Judgment (criteria, standards, justification)
• Major theories include Imitation Theory, Expression Theory, Formalism, Instrumentalism, and Institutional Theory
• Influential philosophers include Plato, Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche, John Dewey, and Martin Heidegger
• Key texts include Plato's "The Republic" (Book X), Aristotle's "Poetics", Kant's "Critique of Judgment", Nietzsche's "The Birth of Tragedy", and Dewey's "Art as Experience"