METAPHYSICS

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of consciousness and the relationship between mind and matter. Metaphysics studies questions related to what is for something to exist and what types of existence there are. Metaphysics seeks to answer, in an abstract and fully general manner, the questions (What is there?) and (What is like?). Topics of metaphysical investigation include existence, objects and their properties, space and time, cause and effect, and possibility. Metaphysics is considered one of the four branches of philosophy, along with epistemology, logic, and ethics.