Metaphysics

Metaphysics can be described as the study of:

• how we gain knowledge through the senses

• persuasive language and logical arguments

• the fundamental nature of reality and existence

• forces and energy

Which of these questions relates most to the metaphysics of space and time?

• What is the meaning of justice?

• Can two objects occupy the same space at the same time?

• Do we have moral obligations to others?

• What causes identity to persist?

Which question belongs to the branch of ontology?

• How do we know what is true?

• What is the difference between right and wrong?

• What kinds of things exist in the universe?

• How should governments be organised?

In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, prisoners see only shadows and believe them to be reality. This links to metaphysics because it asks:

• How people learn new skills

• Whether knowledge can be measured

• How societies should be governed

• Whether our perceptions reveal or hide the true nature of reality

The question 'Can human choices ever be completely free?' belongs to the metaphysical sub-branch of:

• Ontology

• Causality and free will

• Appearance vs Reality

• Identity and change

The question 'Does the colour red exist in the world, or only in our perception?' relates to the metaphysical sub-branch of:

• Ontology

• Appearance vs Reality

• Identity and Change

• Causality and Free Will

An optical illusion is most relevant to the “appearance vs reality” sub-branch because it shows that:

• The mind and body are separate

• All truths are relative to culture

• The laws of nature can be broken

• Our senses can mislead us about what exists

A spaceship travels near the speed of light, and its crew ages two years while people on Earth age ten. This relates to the metaphysics of space and time because it asks:

• Whether humans can survive in space

• How to measure distances between stars

• Whether time is fixed or can change with motion

• Whether space travel is ethical

In The Matrix, humans experience a simulated world that feels real. This links to metaphysics because it raises the question of:

• Whether reality is always as it appears to our senses

• How to build advanced artificial intelligence

• Whether technology improves human life

• How moral rules apply in virtual spaces

The best subject in the world is

• Philosophy

• Not Philosophy

• Not Philosophy

• Not Philosophy