7 The Nature of Reality Free Online FlashCards

What does metaphysics investigate?

Metaphysics investigates what exists, what is fundamental, and how reality makes change, identity, mind, and agency possible.

What is physicalism?

Physicalism holds that reality is fundamentally physical, though physicalists differ on how mental properties fit into that view.

Can something be real without being fundamental?

Something can be real without being fundamental: a traffic jam exists, but depends on the positions and movements of vehicles.

What do reduction and grounding help explain?

Reduction and grounding describe different kinds of dependence between things, including how less basic facts or entities depend on more basic ones.

What is the mind–body problem?

It asks how conscious experience relates to the physical body and brain, including how subjective experience can be explained.

What is the problem of personal identity?

It is the question of what makes someone at one time the same person at another time.

What kinds of continuity might explain personal identity?

Proposed answers include continuity of the body, psychological continuity such as memory and character, or an enduring self.

What does causation concern?

Causation concerns how events or conditions bring about, influence, or explain other events.

How do compatibilists relate free will to determinism?

Compatibilists argue that freedom can coexist with determinism, such as when someone acts on their reasons without external coercion.

What is the first step in evaluating a metaphysical claim?

Clarify key terms and separate questions that can be confused, such as numerical identity, psychological continuity, and character.

How should the reasoning behind a metaphysical claim be examined?

Check whether its assumptions are plausible and whether its conclusion follows from them.

What factors help compare metaphysical theories?

Compare how well each theory explains the relevant facts and puzzles, and consider its coherence, implications, evidence, and assumptions.