The Historical Fate Of Metaphysics And It's Relations With Science

Metaphysics has always played an important role in the western culture. The fate of metaphysics, especially its development in the revolutions of philosophy in modern times, has great effect on the contemporary reconstruction of philosophy and the revolution of science.It is the general trait of the western metaphysics to pursuit the ultimate being. By means of this pursuit, metaphysics recognized the unity of the world, thus formed the explanations of all the things and phenomenon in the world. The concern on the ultimate being and explanation aims at an ultimate object -ensuring human's status in the world, seeking the groundwork of human life. The themes of metaphysics -ontology, epistemology, axiology-were determined by them accordingly. As one of the means of human being to master the ultimate being, science must be inextricably involved in the relationship with metaphysics inevitably.The themes of metaphysics were determined by the ancient philosophers in Greece, and its features were formed gradually. In the course of modern revolution of philosophy which was called the epistemological turn, metaphysics was applied to investigate epistemological problems by philosophers, and was developed in a new way. Even being criticized in the movement of abandonment of metaphysics, it never retreated from the stage of history. On the contrary, many contemporary philosophers are devoting to rebuild metaphysics because it is the human nature and the foundation of philosophy and science.