Metaphysics and Epistemology

Metaphysics and Epistemology: Schools of Thought

Philosophy has a long history, which goes back several hundred years from Aristotle’s introduction of metaphysics as the first philosophy (Moore & Bruder, 2011). “The term metaphysics was first used as a title for a group of works by Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)” (DeWeese & Moreland, 2005, p. 28). Metaphysics is the study of nature, being, existence, and the fundamental features of them (Moore & Bruder, 2011). Throughout the years, philosophers have metaphysically sought out various propositions between truth and reality. This warranted assertability within the disputed propositions between truth and reality, which led way to the establishment of epistemology. The word “epistemology” was derived from the Greek words episteme (knowledge) and logos (study or science of). Epistemology is concerned with the criteria of knowledge, nature of knowledge, and possibility of knowledge. Epistemology has a long history dating back to the beginning of philosophy. Plato formulated the first comprehensive theory of knowledge, which has awarded him credit for the foundation of epistemology (Moore & Bruder, 2011).

Throughout the years to follow, many skeptical philosophers questioned previous philosophers’ metaphysical or epistemology theories just as Plato of Socrates and Aristotle of Plato (Moore & Bruder, 2011). These types of questions led philosophers to the development of several schools of thought, such as skepticism, rationalism, empiricism, realism, idealism, materialism, determinism, existentialism, dualism, functionalism, and structuralism. Many of the ideas within most, if not all, of these schools of thought can be identified within the history of philosophy. The evolutionary development process of these schools of thought is discussed. Some of the contributions from various philosophers toward developing these schools of thought are (Moore & Bruder, 2011).

Skepticism

Skepticism can be...