Metaphysics (Advanced) Vocabulary

that which exists independently and underlies properties

“Aristotle distinguished substance from its accidental properties.”

Origin: Latin substantia 'being, essence' from substare 'to stand under'

the fundamental nature that makes something what it is

“Existence precedes essence in existentialist thought.”

Origin: Latin essentia 'being' from esse 'to be'

the study of necessity, possibility, and contingency

“Modal logic formalizes claims about what could or must be.”

Origin: Latin modus 'measure, manner, mode'

that which could have been otherwise

“Contingent truths depend on how the world happens to be.”

Origin: Latin contingere 'to touch, befall' from con- 'together' + tangere 'to touch'

that which could not have been otherwise

“Mathematical truths are often considered necessary.”

Origin: Latin necessitas 'unavoidableness' from necesse 'unavoidable'

the view that universals are merely names, not real entities

“Nominalism denies that 'redness' exists apart from red things.”

Origin: Latin nomen 'name' + -ism

the view that abstract entities or universals exist independently

“Platonic realism holds that Forms exist in a transcendent realm.”

Origin: Latin realis 'relating to things' from res 'thing'

the view that mind and body are distinct substances

“Cartesian dualism separates mental and physical reality.”

Origin: Latin duo 'two' + -ism

the view that reality is fundamentally one kind of thing

“Spinoza's monism identified God with Nature.”

Origin: Greek monos 'single, alone' + -ism

the relation between cause and effect

“Hume questioned whether we can know causation directly.”

Origin: Latin causatio 'a causing' from causa 'cause'