Posted: Jan 28, 2017 4:21 am
Tracer Tong wrote:VazScep wrote:Traditional metaphysics asks after the nature of time, space, substance, causality, freewill, the infinite, and logic, and it tries to do so with pure reflection. The problems metaphysics faces in the 21st century are that: theoretical physicists and mathematicians have far more profound things to say on these matters than metaphysicians ever have; much of what they have to say goes completely against intuition; and they've subjected what they have to say to the scrutiny of experiment and, in the case of mathematics, the task of mechanising the entire subject.
Aristotle would say that metaphysics examines something that none of these subjects examines, "being qua being", if that's a good translation. From what contemporary metaphysics I've read, I think he may have a point.
Clearly, Aristotle was a deep, deep thinker. Clearly. His influence on subsequent philosophy has been yuge. Just yuge. And the fact that you think he has a point signifies to me that you, also, are a deep, deep thinker. Deep, but not necessarily yuge. Necessity is a mother! Believe me. Aristotle first! We'll build a wall between France and Aristotle, to keep out the Contintentals. And make them pay for it! They're gonna pay! And the Frankfurt School? When I'm done with them, they're gonna need vouchers.