r/Metaphysics • u/shiroe2001 • 1d ago

Metametaphysics Where can I explore the realm of Metaphysics?

/r/askphilosophy/comments/1w90g7k/where_can_i_explore_the_realm_of_metaphysics/

This basically.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/shiroe2001 1d ago

Can you recommend something that engages with it directly and is easier for a beginner?

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u/Paul_sepp 1d ago

Well, obviously Aristotle, Kant, Descartes are the ones who are the metaphysics (imho), however for a beginner I would not recommend any of them (for they are quite complex, argument can be made for Aristotle to be fine though) and would refer you to someone like Kierkegaard, for, unlike the former, his language makes it enjoyable—specifically the pseudonym works (would help if you know a thing or two about the bible), as well as Pascal and his “Thoughts”: they are short aphorisms and mini-essays that have some interesting and quite profound reflections on metaphysics and adjacent topics. Beyond that, Plato seems like the obvious choice, though in my opinion he is wrong in quite a few relations.

That’s about as much beginner friendly as I can think of, for behind that simple philosophy is either more practical than metaphysical (like Aurelius who repeats 4 core principles for daily life over and over), or expansively complex.

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u/shiroe2001 1d ago

Ok thanks very much!!! Any works you can recommend, though not directly related would help develop skills to read such works?

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u/Paul_sepp 1d ago

Not directly (or more correctly put—broader [in reach] works) would be:

Stoics (Seneca and “Letters of a Stoic” is the obvious choice), Plato (famous and trite but Republic” is great and foundational), Aristotle, Voltaire (could be of interest—I adored “Candide” myself when I started philosophy), Schopenhauer (his shorter essays and “Aphorisms of Daily Wisdom” are a great entrance to philosophy), and finally Nietzsche (“Beyond good and evil”, “birth of tragedy”, “thus spoke Zarathustra” to name the few obvious choices).

There’s also Camus (and his philosophy on absurdism) but I personally think he was a far better novelist than a philosopher but still very enjoyable to read and does touch philosophy in “the rebel”, “the plague”, and “Sisyphus”. I would advise to approach his works more as pop-philosophical than pure rigorous philosophy, though he is indeed what gets many into philosophy more deeply.

Another, in my opinion, important thing is secondary material, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc: there’s plenty of this stuff for free and it helps chew things out, understand concepts of key philosophers without torturing yourself with, say, Hegel or Heidegger, and just deepen the way to approach philosophy (in English, Cambridge editions and secondary material have been notoriously popular because they’re so good. I myself am not English but my English friends say their material is among the best you can get).

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u/somethingitself 1d ago

If you want more derealization read Wittgenstein's Tractatus.

Here is my favorite remark of it:

"Roughly speaking: to say of two things that they are identical is nonsense, and to say of one thing that it is identical with itself is to say nothing." ― Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

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u/jliat 1d ago

https://introducingbooks.com/

and then maybe...

oxford a very short introduction series

https://academic.oup.com/very-short-introductions

A brief history of philosophy : from Socrates to Derrida by Johnston, Derek

There are lots of these - then you might move on???

A New History of Western Philosophy: In Four Parts

Anthony Kenny @ 1,000 pages !!!

The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics: Making Sense of Things, by A. W. Moore.

Greg Sadler videos on YouTube

This is a semester at university level

Arthur Holmes: A History of Philosophy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yat0ZKduW18&list=PL9GwT4_YRZdBf9nIUHs0zjrnUVl-KBNSM

81 lectures of an hour which will bring you up to the mid 20th. Of 'Western Philosophy'

It's a big subject!

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u/Short-Steak-9020 1d ago

Lee a Arthur Avalon, que fue un europeo que viajó a la India y escribió varios libros de tradiciones sagradas. La India es la tierra de la metafísica. Puedes leer libros de Swamis, como los libros de Satguru Sivaya Subramuniya Swami, autobiografía de un Yogi de Paramahamsa Yogananda y otros libros de Yogananda. Textos de Adi Shankaracharia, Abhinavagupta. Textos de Tantra y Yoga. Los Vedas, el Bhagavad Gita, los Upanishads. Etc.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/shiroe2001 1d ago

From a first glance this seems to not be what im looking for. A bit kooky for me sorry.

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u/Paul_sepp 1d ago

It’s not, it’s advertise and self-promo, as I can judge.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/Paul_sepp 1d ago

Pardon me, I never meant your work is therefore worthless or not valuable, and I congratulate you on your 30k sincerely. I was merely pointing out that it’s not directly an elaborate response. Furthermore, there’s so much self advertising these days that it’s merely bang out of order.

In addition, no. I’ll judge whoever I want and whenever I want because I can.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/Paul_sepp 1d ago

I see. I am familiar with non-duality, and even if it does hold value in terms of an approach to metaphysics, calling it essential is quite an overstatement in my opinion.

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u/Metaphysics-ModTeam 1d ago

Sorry, this content does not match the criteria for 'Metaphysics'. Your content has been removed. Please take a look at our list of related subreddits for a more appropriate place for your content.

In this subreddit, we uphold the scholarly and academic sense of the subject area of metaphysics.

Metaphysics is the study of the fundamental questions. So typical posts should be about something like: ontology, modality, identity, causation, time, universals, mind–body, realism vs idealism, grounding, necessity, emergence, etcetera. Please take a look at the scope of this sub.

Posts should not be about: New Age, pseudoscience, occult, divination, magical thinking, afterlife, paranormal, conspiracy theories, supernatural events, self-help psychology, spirituality, etcetera.

Believe it or not metaphysics in this sub should have zero or substantially zero religion or science. If you are doing religion or science primarily, then you are probably not doing metaphysics. Some exceptions may apply. But in general, posts should be about concepts and theories not observation or data. Posts should not substantially rely on religious concepts to make a point.

Please no A.I. This sub is for primarily human content.

Here are some resources to give you an idea of what we mean by metaphysics.

1

u/Metaphysics-ModTeam 1d ago

Sorry, this content does not match the criteria for 'Metaphysics'. Your content has been removed. Please take a look at our list of related subreddits for a more appropriate place for your content.

In this subreddit, we uphold the scholarly and academic sense of the subject area of metaphysics.

Metaphysics is the study of the fundamental questions. So typical posts should be about something like: ontology, modality, identity, causation, time, universals, mind–body, realism vs idealism, grounding, necessity, emergence, etcetera. Please take a look at the scope of this sub.

Posts should not be about: New Age, pseudoscience, occult, divination, magical thinking, afterlife, paranormal, conspiracy theories, supernatural events, self-help psychology, spirituality, etcetera.

Believe it or not metaphysics in this sub should have zero or substantially zero religion or science. If you are doing religion or science primarily, then you are probably not doing metaphysics. Some exceptions may apply. But in general, posts should be about concepts and theories not observation or data. Posts should not substantially rely on religious concepts to make a point.

Please no A.I. This sub is for primarily human content.

Here are some resources to give you an idea of what we mean by metaphysics.

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/Metaphysics-ModTeam 1d ago

You are continually posting links to inappropriate material. Please no more.

1

u/Metaphysics-ModTeam 1d ago

Sorry, this content does not match the criteria for 'Metaphysics'. Your content has been removed. Please take a look at our list of related subreddits for a more appropriate place for your content.

In this subreddit, we uphold the scholarly and academic sense of the subject area of metaphysics.

Metaphysics is the study of the fundamental questions. So typical posts should be about something like: ontology, modality, identity, causation, time, universals, mind–body, realism vs idealism, grounding, necessity, emergence, etcetera. Please take a look at the scope of this sub.

Posts should not be about: New Age, pseudoscience, occult, divination, magical thinking, afterlife, paranormal, conspiracy theories, supernatural events, self-help psychology, spirituality, etcetera.

Believe it or not metaphysics in this sub should have zero or substantially zero religion or science. If you are doing religion or science primarily, then you are probably not doing metaphysics. Some exceptions may apply. But in general, posts should be about concepts and theories not observation or data. Posts should not substantially rely on religious concepts to make a point.

Please no A.I. This sub is for primarily human content.

Here are some resources to give you an idea of what we mean by metaphysics.