Metaphysics Overview

Study Notes

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 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 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 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"