Metaphysics

High school (ages 12+)
Philosophy & Big Questions

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/metaphysics

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the discipline focus?Fundamental nature of reality, existence, time, space, causality, and modality
2. What is the historical roots?Ancient Greek philosophy, notably Aristotle's 'Metaphysics'
3. Why do people study metaphysics?It helps us think about what exists, how we know things, and how our ideas shape laws and ethics.
4. How is metaphysics different from science?Science looks at the observable world, while metaphysics looks at the deeper ideas that make the world possible, like what it means to exist.

Modality: The study of possibility, necessity, and contingency in logic and metaphysics.
Substance: In metaphysics, that which underlies properties; the fundamental reality of a thing.
Causality: The principle that events have causes, and the philosophical investigation into this relationship.