At Iverson Software, we specialize in the systems that organize human knowledge. But what is the nature of the things we are organizing? Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that looks behind the physical world to ask about the fundamental nature of reality. If physics tells us how a ball falls, metaphysics asks what it means for the ball to “exist” in the first place.
1. Ontology: The Study of Being
Ontology is the sub-branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of being. In computer science, an “ontology” is a formal naming and definition of the types, properties, and interrelationships of entities. Philosophical ontology asks similar questions:
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What is an Entity? Does a “software program” exist in the same way a “mountain” does?
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Abstract vs. Concrete: Are numbers and logical laws real things, or are they just tools we invented to describe the world?
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Identity and Change: If you update every line of code in a program, is it still the same program? This mirrors the classic “Ship of Theseus” paradox.
2. Cosmology: The Grand Design
While modern astronomy uses telescopes to see the stars, Metaphysical Cosmology uses reason to understand the structure of the universe as a whole.
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Determinism vs. Free Will: Is the universe a “pre-compiled” script where every event is inevitable, or is it an open-world environment where users have true agency?
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Causality: The “Input/Output” relationship of the universe. Metaphysics investigates the “Prime Mover” or the first cause that set the entire system in motion.
3. The Mind-Body Problem
Perhaps the most famous metaphysical question is the relationship between the physical brain (hardware) and the conscious mind (software).
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Dualism: The belief that the mind and body are two distinct substances.
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Physicalism: The belief that everything about the mind can be explained by physical processes in the brain.
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Artificial Intelligence: Metaphysics asks: if we perfectly simulate a human brain in silicon, would it possess “being” and “consciousness,” or would it just be a sophisticated Chinese Room?
4. Space and Time: The Global Variables
Metaphysics questions the very fabric in which our lives take place.
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Presentism vs. Eternalism: Is only the “now” real (like a single frame of data), or do the past and future exist simultaneously as part of a four-dimensional “block universe”?
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Relational Space: Is space a “container” that things sit in, or is it simply a set of relationships between objects?
Why Metaphysics Matters to Our Readers
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Foundational Thinking: Metaphysics trains you to look for the “root cause” and the underlying assumptions in any system or argument.
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Bridging Science and Mystery: It provides a language for discussing things that science cannot yet measure, such as purpose, value, and the nature of the self.
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System Design: Understanding ontology helps developers and architects create better data models by forcing them to define exactly what their objects are and how they relate.
