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Brandy Goudreau
Professor Coleman
PHIL 1301
October 5, 2016
Metaphysics – Under The Microscope
Plato and Aristotle were two of the three famous ancient Greek philosophers. Their ideas
laid the foundation for many great thinkers that were to come after them. One thing that they
both did not completely agree on was metaphysics. Now, in this paper, I will take this word and I
will gently create an “environmental slide”. In other words, I will take the definition, place it
under the microscope, and we will look at it together. From this view under the metaphoric
microscope let us begin. Metaphysics is to understand the underlying meaning of it, to know
where it came from, learning and understanding Plato’s and Aristotle’s interpretation of it, and to
formulate one’s own personal understanding of it. Once we understand it, we can apply it. Let’s
place the first slide under the metaphoric microscope and see what we can learn.
There are two types of metaphoric cells we are going to look at. Before we do let’s
identify this cell. This “cell” is called metaphysics. There is one word and one definition, but
different interpretations of that definition. This is the same as looking at cells under a
microscope. There are different ways to identify and analyze that cell. Before we go into those
interpretations, we will define it. Metaphysics is defined as a branch of philosophy that deals
with the first principals of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, substance,
cause, identity, time, and space. Basically metaphysics attempts to analyze the formation of our
universe. Physics is similar, but science is limited to only five senses. Metaphysics is not limited

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to those alone. It believes that humans have to raise their conciseness high in order to observe
that complete universe. Science is more black and white. It uses things like protons, touch, cells,
matter, and energy. Metaphysics uses things like intelligence, desire, thought, consciousness, and
feeling. Metaphysics approaches this concept of creation by saying we must truly understand this
rationale before we can find the correct formula, whereas scientists give formulas for finding
various parts of the universe. This will lead us on to the first interpretation.
The first “cell” is looked at from Plato’s perspective. He called his interpretation dualism.
In order to understand dualism, which is Plato’s version of metaphysics, it must first be defined.
Dualism is defined as a theory that the mental and the physical, mind and body, or mind and
brain are, in some sense, radically different things. This means that there are two types of reality.
There is the actual physical mind that is thinking and doing. This uses our physical world that we
can see with our eyes and touch with our hands. Then there is a whole other world. This is often
called the Platonic heaven. This is where Plato’s forms of things come in. There are forms of
everything, such as people, grass, food, tables or shapes. These forms were presumed to be more
real than the actual world of matter. Matter is only shaped by virtue of having some type of
particular form. This world, according to Plato, is dual. The base universe of matter seen by the
senses, and then the higher universe of forms seen by the intellect. In short, Plato believed that
there were more than just what our senses perceived. He believed in two distinct worlds. When
Plato looks under that metaphoric microscope, he sees what he wants to see. He believes that
there are forms of these things in another world as well.

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Aristotle has a different perspective of this “cell” called metaphysics. In fact, Aristotle
preferred to call it materialism or “first philosophy”. He believed in a one-world view, and that is
the actual physical world. Aristotle was a physicalist, and he believed ultimate knowledge came
from only the senses. This comes from our observations from this physical world. The principal
subject is “being qua being”, or being insofar as it is being. The word “qua” means under the
aspect, or concern the most general class of things. They are “a study, a subject matter or being,
and a manner in which the subject matter is studied”. (Cohen) First philosophy is not the only
field to study beings. Natural science and mathematics do the same studying, only under
different aspects. When he looks under that metaphoric microscope he sees what he actually sees
and what others see. He uses his senses to identify things that are and what could be.
Taking what Plato and Aristotle saw when they took their look in that microscope, they
told others their view of what they saw. The metaphysical view I find most appropriate by
reference to both Plato and Aristotle’s view on metaphysics would be Aristotle’s view. He used
deductive reasoning. If A=B, and B=C, then A=C. They both believed thoughts were superior to
the senses. However, Plato thought that one’s senses could trick a person, but Aristotle thought
that one could not determine reality without senses. I believe in things I have seen and touched,
whether in physical form or in the emotional form. For example, Christians believe in God. They
have never seen or have never touched him physically. They know and believe that he exists and
they believe He is real by knowing that there is something higher and greater than them that
exists. Based on deductive reasoning they know that He does exist based on either their life
experiences or others life experiences. They do not go into their belief blind. Additionally,
Aristotle would be more likely than Plato to use the scientific method to prove truths physically,

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before saying that it is true. Plato would use common sense and intuition to determine if
something is true or not. Reason is not the same as actually seeing. Therefore, Aristotle’s view
on metaphysics makes more sense to me. So, to wrap things up, or to take this sample off the
microscope and apply it, where do we go from here with our personal view of metaphysics? That
depends on what you saw when you looked under that microscope.

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Works Cited
Cohen, S. Marc, "Aristotle's Metaphysics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer
2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL=
<http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2016/entries/aristotle-metaphysics/>.