Neometaphysics

An adaptation of metaphysics (the study of first causes, being, spirit) to current scientific knowledge. Unlike traditional speculative metaphysics, neometaphysics incorporates results from modern physics (relativity, quantum mechanics, cosmology), evolutionary biology, and neuroscience to address questions about reality, time, causality, consciousness, and free will. Neometaphysics does not oppose science; it seeks its foundations and limits. It is practiced by philosophers of science as a “naturalised metaphysics”.

Neometaphysics Example: “A neometaphysician asks: ‘Is the quantum wave function real or just a calculation?’ The pragmatic physicist retorts: ‘That’s metaphysics, not physics.’ The neometaphysician counter‑replies: ‘Your “shut up and calculate” is itself a metaphysical stance. You rely on a view of reality you refuse to defend. That’s not pragmatism – it’s evasion.’”

Neometaphysics by Abzu Land May 27, 2026

Neometaphysicalism

A rarer term, which can be seen as a systematic and dogmatic version of neometaphysics. It adapts “metaphysicalism” (the belief that ultimate reality is metaphysical, not merely physical) to current scientific knowledge. It proposes that physical laws emerge from more fundamental metaphysical principles – such as the principle of sufficient reason, the identity of indiscernibles, or transcendental logical structures. Neometaphysicalism attempts to unify science, logic, and ontology into a coherent system, often using type theory, topos theory, or quantified modal logic.

Neometaphysicalism Example: “A neometaphysicalist argued that the cosmological constant is determined by modal symmetry principles, not by physical dynamics. The cosmologist replied: ‘Interesting, but without observable predictions, that’s philosophy – not science. You’re just renaming God as “modal necessity”.’ The neometaphysicalist counter‑replies: ‘Your own reliance on symmetries and mathematical beauty is no less metaphysical. You just haven’t admitted it. I make the assumptions explicit; you hide them.’”

Neometaphysicalism by Abzu Land May 27, 2026