[Revised entry by Katharine Jenkins, Matthew Cull, Sally Haslanger, and Ásta on November 8, 2024.
Changes to: Main text, Bibliography, notes.html]
Metaphysics is the study of the basic structure of reality, of what there is and what it is like. It considers, for example, concepts such as identity, causation, substance, and kind, that seem to be presupposed by any form of inquiry; and it attempts to determine what there is at the most general level. For example, are there minds in addition to bodies? Do things persist through change? Is there free will or is all action determined by prior events? But since metaphysics not only concerns itself with what…
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