Metaphysics

=== Branches <!--'Metametaphysics' and 'Meta-metaphysics' redirect here-->===
The nature of metaphysics can also be characterized in relation to its main branches. An influential division from early [[modern philosophy]] distinguishes between general and special or specific metaphysics.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Loux|Crisp|2017|pp=3–5, 10}} | {{harvnb|van Inwagen|Sullivan|Bernstein|2023|loc=§ 1. The Word 'Metaphysics' and the Concept of Metaphysics}} | {{harvnb|Craig|1998}} | {{harvnb|Koons|Pickavance|2015|pp=1–2}} }}</ref> General metaphysics, also called ''[[ontology]]'',{{efn|The term ''[[ontology]]'' is sometimes also used as a synonym of metaphysics as a whole.<ref>{{harvnb|Hawley|2016|p=166}}</ref>}} takes the widest perspective and studies the most fundamental aspects of being. It investigates the features that all entities have in common and how entities can be divided into different [[categories of being|categories]]. Categories are the most general kinds, such as substance, property, [[Relation (philosophy)|relation]], and [[fact]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Loux|Crisp|2017|pp=10–14}} | {{harvnb|van Inwagen|Sullivan|Bernstein|2023|loc=§ 1. The Word 'Metaphysics' and the Concept of Metaphysics}} | {{harvnb|Campbell|2006|loc=The Categories Of Being}} }}</ref> Ontologists research which categories there are, how they depend on one another, and how they form a system of categories that provides an encompassing classification of all entities.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Hofweber|2023|loc=§ 3. Ontology}} | {{harvnb|Campbell|2006|loc=The Categories Of Being}} | {{harvnb|Thomasson|2022|loc=Lead Section}} }}</ref>

Special metaphysics considers being from more narrow perspectives and is divided into subdisciplines based on the perspective they take. [[Metaphysical cosmology]] examines changeable things and investigates how they are connected to form a [[world]] as a totality of entities extending through space and time.<ref name="Loux 2017 3–5, 10">{{multiref | {{harvnb|Loux|Crisp|2017|pp=3–5, 10}} | {{harvnb|van Inwagen|Sullivan|Bernstein|2023|loc=§ 1. The Word 'Metaphysics' and the Concept of Metaphysics}} }}</ref> Rational psychology restricts itself to exploring metaphysical foundations and problems concerning the mind, such as its relation to matter and the freedom of the will. Natural theology studies the divine and its role as the first cause.<ref name="Loux 2017 3–5, 10"/> The scope of special metaphysics overlaps with other philosophical disciplines and it is often not clear whether a topic belongs to it rather than to disciplines like [[philosophy of mind]] and [[theology]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Loux|Crisp|2017|pp=10–11}} | {{harvnb|Craig|1998|loc=§ 2. Specific Metaphysics}} }}</ref>

Applied metaphysics is a young subdiscipline. It belongs to [[applied philosophy]] and studies the applications of metaphysics, both within philosophy and other fields of inquiry. In [[ethics]] and [[philosophy of religion]], it concerns topics like the ontological foundation of moral claims and religious doctrines.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Hawley|2016|pp=165–168}} | {{harvnb|Brumbaugh|1966|pp=[https://www.jstor.org/stable/20124133 647–648]}} }}</ref> Applications outside philosophy include the use of ontologies in [[artificial intelligence]], [[economics]], and [[sociology]] to classify entities<ref>{{harvnb|Hawley|2016|pp=168–169, 171–172}}</ref> as well as questions in [[psychiatry]] and [[medicine]] about the metaphysical status of [[disease]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Hawley|2016|p=174}}</ref>

'''Meta-metaphysics'''{{efn|Some philosophers use the term ''[[metaontology]]'' as a synonym while others characterize metaontology as a subfield of meta-metaphysics.<ref>{{harvnb|Tahko|2018|loc=Lead Section}}</ref>}} is the [[metatheory]] of metaphysics and investigates the nature and methods of metaphysics. It also examines how metaphysics differs from other philosophical and scientific disciplines and how it is relevant to them. While the discussions of its topics have a long history in metaphysics, it has only recently developed into a systematic field of inquiry.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|McDaniel|2020|loc=§ 7 Meta-metaphysics}} | {{harvnb|Tahko|2018|loc=Lead Section}} }}</ref>
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