Metaphysical Encyclopedia

### Metaphysical Encyclopedia

#### A

1. Absolute - The ultimate, unchanging reality or truth that transcends all relative conditions.

2. Actuality - The state of being real or fully realized, contrasted with potentiality.

3. Aether - A classical concept of a subtle medium filling space, sometimes linked to spiritual or cosmic energy.

4. Akasha - In esoteric traditions, a universal substance or record containing all knowledge and events.

5. Analogy of Being - The idea that all beings share a common essence, varying by degree.

6. Animism - The belief that all objects, places, and creatures possess a spiritual essence.

7. Antinomy - A contradiction between two principles or truths, often explored in metaphysical debates.

8. Apperception - Self-conscious awareness or perception of one’s own mental states.

9. Archetype - Universal, primordial patterns or symbols shaping reality and consciousness.

10. Atman - In Hinduism, the true self or soul, identical with the ultimate reality (Brahman).

#### B

1. Being - The fundamental state of existence, central to metaphysical inquiry.

2. Brahman - In Hinduism, the ultimate reality or cosmic principle underlying all existence.

3. Becoming - The process of change or development, contrasted with static being.

4. Body-Mind Problem - The question of how physical bodies and non-physical minds interact.

5. Bundle Theory - The view that objects are collections of properties, not unified substances.

6. Bivalence - The principle that every proposition is either true or false, debated in metaphysics.

7. Bootstrap Cosmology - The idea that the universe creates itself without an external cause.

8. Biocentrism - The theory that consciousness or life is central to the nature of reality.

9. Boundary of Being - The conceptual limit between existence and non-existence.

10. Bhava - In Buddhism, the state of becoming or existence driven by karma.

#### C

1. Causality - The principle that events have causes, central to understanding reality’s structure.

2. Consciousness - The state of awareness, a core mystery in metaphysical philosophy.

3. Contingency - The state of being dependent on something else for existence.

4. Cosmos - The ordered universe, often contrasted with chaos in metaphysical thought.

5. Cogito - Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am,” grounding existence in self-awareness.

6. Correspondence Theory - The view that truth corresponds to objective reality.

7. Continuum - A seamless, unbroken whole, often applied to time, space, or being.

8. Coherentism - The belief that truth arises from the coherence of ideas, not external reality.

9. Collective Consciousness - The shared awareness or mind of a group or species.

10. Cosmic Unity - The idea that all things are interconnected within a single reality.

#### D

1. Determinism - The view that all events are predetermined by prior causes.

2. Dualism - The belief in two fundamental realities, such as mind and matter.

3. Dharma - In Eastern traditions, the cosmic law or truth governing existence.

4. Dialectic - A method of reasoning to uncover truth through contradictions or opposites.

5. Divine Simplicity - The theological view that God is without parts or complexity.

6. Duration - Bergson’s concept of time as a qualitative, lived experience.

7. Dynamic Being - The idea that existence is inherently processual or ever-changing.

8. Deconstruction - A method questioning metaphysical assumptions in language and concepts.

9. Dependent Origination - Buddhist doctrine that all phenomena arise interdependently.

10. Doxa - Opinion or belief, contrasted with true knowledge (episteme) in metaphysics.

#### E

1. Essence - The intrinsic nature or defining quality of a thing.

2. Existence - The state of being real or having actuality.

3. Emanation - The process by which all things flow from a divine or ultimate source.

4. Epiphenomenon - A secondary phenomenon arising from but not affecting primary causes.

5. Eternalism - The view that past, present, and future all exist equally.

6. Etheric Body - In esoteric traditions, a subtle energy body surrounding the physical form.

7. Emergence - The process by which complex systems arise from simpler components.

8. Entelechy - Aristotle’s term for the realization of potential or inner purpose.

9. Epistemology - The study of knowledge, closely tied to metaphysical questions of reality.

10. Ego - The self or individual consciousness, often contrasted with universal awareness.

#### F

1. Free Will - The ability to act independently of deterministic causes.

2. Form - In Plato’s philosophy, the eternal, perfect blueprint of a thing.

3. Final Cause - Aristotle’s concept of purpose or goal as a cause of existence.

4. Flux - Heraclitus’ idea that reality is characterized by constant change.

5. Functionalism - The view that mental states are defined by their functional roles.

6. Finitude - The state of being limited or bounded, often contrasted with infinity.

7. First Principle - A foundational truth from which other truths are derived.

8. Fractal Ontology - The idea that reality is structured in self-similar patterns.

9. Falsifiability - The criterion that a metaphysical claim can be proven false.

10. Fundamental Reality - The ultimate basis or substance of all existence.

#### G

1. God - The ultimate being or creator in many metaphysical systems.

2. Ground of Being - The foundational reality supporting all existence.

3. Gnosticism - A belief system emphasizing direct knowledge of the divine.

4. Gestalt - The holistic perception of reality as more than the sum of its parts.

5. Great Chain of Being - A hierarchical structure of existence from matter to God.

6. Gnosis - Direct, mystical knowledge of ultimate truth or reality.

7. Gravitational Singularity - A point of infinite density, raising metaphysical questions.

8. Global Consciousness - The idea of a unified, collective awareness of humanity.

9. Gunas - In Hinduism, the three qualities (sattva, rajas, tamas) shaping reality.

10. Genuine Possibility - A real, not merely logical, potential for existence.

#### H

1. Holism - The view that wholes are more than the sum of their parts.

2. Hyle - Aristotle’s term for matter or the raw material of existence.

3. Holographic Principle - The idea that the universe is encoded on a lower-dimensional boundary.

4. Hylomorphism - Aristotle’s theory that beings are composed of matter and form.

5. Hermeneutics - The study of interpretation, applied to metaphysical texts or reality.

6. Higher Self - The transcendent aspect of consciousness beyond the ego.

7. Haecceity - The unique “thisness” or individuality of a thing.

8. Hypostasis - A distinct reality or substance underlying existence.

9. Hylozoism - The belief that all matter is inherently alive or conscious.

10. Horizon of Being - The limit of what can be known or experienced in existence.

#### I

1. Idealism - The view that reality is fundamentally mental or idea-based.

2. Identity - The quality of being the same or distinct from other entities.

3. Immanence - The presence of the divine or ultimate within the world.

4. Infinity - The state of being boundless or unending, a key metaphysical concept.

5. Intuition - Direct, non-rational apprehension of metaphysical truths.

6. Indeterminacy - The state of being not fully determined, as in quantum metaphysics.

7. Intentionality - The directedness of consciousness toward objects or states.

8. Individuation - The process by which entities become distinct individuals.

9. Intrinsic Value - The inherent worth of something, independent of external factors.

10. Ineffability - The quality of being beyond description, often applied to mystical experiences.

#### J

1. Jiva - In Jainism and Hinduism, the individual soul or living being.

2. Judgment - The mental act of affirming or denying reality’s structure.

3. Jungian Archetypes - Universal symbols in the collective unconscious shaping reality.

4. Justification - The metaphysical basis for believing a proposition is true.

5. Juxtaposition - The contrast of metaphysical principles to reveal deeper truths.

6. Jnana - In Hinduism, knowledge of the ultimate reality or self.

7. Jivanmukta - A liberated soul living in the physical world.

8. Jus Naturae - The natural law governing existence in metaphysical ethics.

9. Junction of Being - The meeting point of different modes of existence.

10. Joy of Being - The intrinsic bliss of existence in some mystical traditions.

#### K

1. Karma - The law of cause and effect governing existence across lifetimes.

2. Kosmos - The harmonious, ordered universe in ancient Greek thought.

3. Kundalini - A dormant spiritual energy within the body, awakened through practice.

4. Kenosis - The self-emptying of divine or personal essence in mystical traditions.

5. Kantian Noumenon - The unknowable “thing-in-itself” behind appearances.

6. Knowledge by Acquaintance - Direct experiential knowledge of reality.

7. Kinesis - Aristotle’s term for motion or change in metaphysical contexts.

8. Karmic Debt - The accumulated consequences of past actions affecting existence.

9. Koinonia - The metaphysical communion or shared essence of beings.

10. Kyriarchy - The hierarchical structure of existence in some metaphysical systems.

#### L

1. Logos - The rational principle or divine word ordering the universe.

2. Leibniz’s Monad - Indivisible, self-contained units of reality.

3. Liberation - Freedom from the cycle of birth and death in Eastern metaphysics.

4. Light of Being - The illuminating essence of existence in mystical traditions.

5. Limitation - The boundary or constraint defining finite existence.

6. Lila - In Hinduism, the divine play or creative activity of the universe.

7. Logical Positivism - A view rejecting metaphysical claims as unverifiable.

8. Life Force - The vital energy animating living beings.

9. Latency - The potential state of being prior to actualization.

10. Luminosity - The inherent clarity or awareness of consciousness.

#### M

1. Materialism - The view that only physical matter exists.

2. Monad - A singular, indivisible unit of reality (e.g., in Leibniz’s philosophy).

3. Maya - In Hinduism, the illusion veiling ultimate reality.

4. Metaphysics - The study of the nature of reality, existence, and being.

5. Mind - The non-physical seat of consciousness or thought.

6. Modality - The study of possibility, necessity, and actuality.

7. Mysticism - Direct experience of ultimate reality or the divine.

8. Manifestation - The process by which the invisible becomes visible.

9. Multiverse - The hypothesis of multiple coexisting universes.

10. Morphic Resonance - The idea that patterns of activity influence future forms.

#### N

1. Nihilism - The rejection of inherent meaning or value in existence.

2. Non-Dualism - The view that reality is ultimately one, without division.

3. Nous - In Greek philosophy, the divine intellect or cosmic mind.

4. Necessity - The state of being inevitable or required by reality’s structure.

5. Nirvana - In Buddhism, the state of liberation from suffering and rebirth.

6. Nominalism - The view that universals are merely names, not real entities.

7. Nothingness - The absence of being, explored in existential metaphysics.

8. Noetic - Pertaining to direct, intuitive knowledge of reality.

9. Numinous - The awe-inspiring presence of the divine or transcendent.

10. Nature of Being - The essential characteristics of existence itself.

#### O

1. Ontology - The study of being, existence, and the nature of entities.

2. Omnipresence - The quality of being present everywhere, often attributed to the divine.

3. One - The ultimate unity underlying all existence in Neoplatonism.

4. Objective Reality - Existence independent of perception or mind.

5. Occasionalism - The view that God causes all events, not natural causality.

6. Ousia - Aristotle’s term for substance or essence.

7. Ontological Argument - A proof for God’s existence based on the concept of being.

8. Open Theism - The view that God’s knowledge of the future is not exhaustive.

9. Ordo Amoris - The order of love or value structuring reality.

10. Original Cause - The first or uncaused cause of all existence.

#### P

1. Panpsychism - The view that all matter has some form of consciousness.

2. Pantheism - The belief that God and the universe are identical.

3. Phenomenology - The study of conscious experience as it presents itself.

4. Platonism - The view that abstract forms or ideas are the ultimate reality.

5. Potentiality - The capacity to become something, contrasted with actuality.

6. Prime Mover - Aristotle’s concept of an uncaused cause initiating motion.

7. Process Philosophy - The view that reality is fundamentally dynamic and changing.

8. Prajna - In Buddhism, intuitive wisdom into the nature of reality.

9. Participation - The metaphysical relation of particulars to universal forms.

10. Perdurantism - The view that objects persist by having temporal parts.

#### Q

1. Qualia - The subjective, intrinsic qualities of conscious experience.

2. Quantum Metaphysics - Exploration of reality based on quantum mechanics.

3. Quintessence - The fifth element or pure essence in classical metaphysics.

4. Quiddity - The “whatness” or essential nature of a thing.

5. Quietism - A mystical approach emphasizing stillness and surrender to reality.

6. Quantum Entanglement - The interconnectedness of particles, raising metaphysical questions.

7. Quest for Being - The philosophical search for the nature of existence.

8. Quality of Existence - The experiential or intrinsic value of being.

9. Quasi-Realism - The view that metaphysical claims are expressive, not factual.

10. Quantum Consciousness - The hypothesis that consciousness arises from quantum processes.

#### R

1. Realism - The view that objects exist independently of perception.

2. Reincarnation - The rebirth of a soul in a new body or form.

3. Reductionism - The approach of explaining complex phenomena by simpler components.

4. Relational Ontology - The view that existence is defined by relationships.

5. Revelation - Direct disclosure of metaphysical truths by a divine source.

6. Retrocausality - The idea that future events can influence the past.

7. Rigpa - In Tibetan Buddhism, pure awareness of ultimate reality.

8. Rationalism - The view that reason is the primary source of metaphysical knowledge.

9. Reality Principle - The governing structure or law of existence.

10. Reciprocity - The mutual interdependence of beings in metaphysical systems.

#### S

1. Substance - The underlying essence or entity that supports properties.

2. Soul - The immaterial essence of a living being.

3. Spacetime - The four-dimensional continuum of reality.

4. Samsara - The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in Eastern traditions.

5. Synchronicity - Meaningful coincidences suggesting a deeper order.

6. Solipsism - The view that only one’s own mind exists.

7. Skepticism - Doubt about the certainty of metaphysical claims.

8. Spirit - The non-physical essence or divine aspect of reality.

9. Subjectivity - The personal, experiential aspect of consciousness.

10. Sublation - Hegel’s process of overcoming while preserving opposites.

#### T

1. Transcendence - The state of being beyond physical or finite existence.

2. Teleology - The study of purpose or final causes in reality.

3. Tao - In Taoism, the ultimate principle or way of the universe.

4. Time - The dimension of change, a core metaphysical puzzle.

5. Theism - Belief in a personal God who interacts with the world.

6. Transmigration - The movement of souls between bodies or forms.

7. Totality - The whole of reality, encompassing all existence.

8. Truth - The correspondence or coherence of ideas with reality.

9. Tattva - In Hinduism, the fundamental principles or elements of reality.

10. Temporal Becoming - The dynamic unfolding of existence through time.

#### U

1. Universals - Properties or qualities shared by multiple particulars.

2. Unity - The oneness or interconnectedness of all existence.

3. Uncaused Cause - A first cause that exists without prior cause.

4. Ultimate Reality - The final or absolute basis of all existence.

5. Unmanifest - The potential or hidden state of reality before manifestation.

6. Universality - The quality of applying to all instances or beings.

7. Upanishads - Ancient Hindu texts exploring metaphysical truths.

8. Utopian Being - An ideal state of existence or consciousness.

9. Unknowable - That which lies beyond human comprehension.

10. Unified Field - A hypothetical single force or essence underlying reality.

#### V

1. Vitalism - The belief that life involves a non-physical vital force.

2. Void - The metaphysical concept of emptiness or non-being.

3. Vibration - The oscillatory essence of reality in esoteric traditions.

4. Vedanta - A Hindu philosophy exploring the nature of reality and self.

5. Veridicality - The quality of being true or corresponding to reality.

6. Virtual Reality - A simulated existence raising metaphysical questions.

7. Volition - The act of willing or choosing, tied to free will.

8. Vishnu - In Hinduism, the divine preserver of cosmic order.

9. Value Theory - The study of worth or goodness in metaphysical contexts.

10. Visionary Experience - Direct perception of metaphysical truths.

#### W

1. Will - The faculty of choice or intention shaping reality.

2. World Soul - A universal spirit animating the cosmos.

3. Wholeness - The state of being complete or undivided in essence.

4. Wisdom - Deep understanding of metaphysical truths.

5. Wave-Particle Duality - The dual nature of matter, challenging metaphysical views.

6. Weltanschauung - A comprehensive worldview shaping metaphysical beliefs.

7. Whiteheadian Process - The view that reality is a process of becoming.

8. Wu Wei - In Taoism, effortless action in harmony with the Tao.

9. Waking State - Ordinary consciousness, contrasted with higher states.

10. Web of Being - The interconnected network of all existence.

#### X

1. Xenophanes’ God - A unified, eternal divine being in early Greek thought.

2. X-Factor of Existence - The unknown or mysterious essence of being.

3. Xeno’s Paradoxes - Logical puzzles challenging motion and plurality.

4. Xenocosm - A hypothetical alien or alternative cosmos.

5. Xylopsychism - The idea that wood or matter has a psychic essence.

6. X-Axis of Reality - A metaphorical dimension of metaphysical structure.

7. Xenoontology - The study of foreign or otherworldly beings.

8. Xylomorphic Essence - The form-giving principle in material objects.

9. X-Consciousness - A speculative universal or alien awareness.

10. X-Mysticism - A term for unknown or esoteric mystical traditions.

#### Y

1. Yoga - A spiritual practice uniting self with ultimate reality.

2. Yuga - In Hinduism, a cosmic cycle or age of existence.

3. Yin-Yang - In Taoism, the dual forces balancing reality.

4. Yearning for Being - The existential drive toward ultimate reality.

5. Yogic Consciousness - Higher awareness attained through yoga.

6. Yonder Reality - A distant or transcendent metaphysical realm.

7. Y-Axis of Existence - A metaphorical dimension of metaphysical depth.

8. Yogic Samadhi - A state of union with ultimate reality.

9. Yugen - In Japanese aesthetics, a subtle awareness of the universe.

10. Yielding to Being - Surrender to the flow of existence.

#### Z

1. Zen - A Buddhist tradition emphasizing direct realization of reality.

2. Zero-Point Energy - The lowest energy state, with metaphysical implications.

3. Zoe - In Greek thought, eternal or divine life.

4. Zeno’s Dichotomy - A paradox questioning the nature of motion and division.

5. Zhuangzi’s Butterfly - A parable questioning the nature of reality and self.

6. Zodiacal Influence - The metaphysical effect of celestial patterns.

7. Zetetic Inquiry - Open-ended exploration of metaphysical truths.

8. Z-Axis of Reality - A metaphorical dimension of metaphysical transcendence.

9. Zen Koan - A paradoxical question revealing deeper truths.

10. Zeitgeist - The spirit of an era, shaping metaphysical perspectives.