Cosmology (metaphysics)
Encyclopedia
Cosmology in metaphysics
is the reflection on the totality of all phenomena. It contrasts with physical cosmology
, the study of the origin of the universe in scientific terms after the Copernican Revolution
.
Metaphysical naturalism
is the belief that the physical universe
is all that exists
. Materialism
and energeticism
are two naturalistic cosmologies.
is the belief that a God or gods exists as a supernatural entity that created the universe
and governs its outcome. Types of theism include monotheism
and polytheism
. The Abrahamic religions are theisms.
Pantheism
is the belief that God
and the universe have a one-to-one correspondence or the universe is a manifestation of God. The philosopher Spinoza was a pantheist. Panentheism
or emanationism
is the belief that the entire universe is part of God, but God is greater than the universe. The Neo-Platonic philosopher Plotinus
was an emanationist.
Deism
is the belief that God or gods created the universe, set everything in motion
, and then had nothing more to do with it. God remains completely transcendent
to the creation after creating it.
(as opposed to body-mind dualism
) is the belief that there are two gods or metaphysical force
s and the universe is a product of these gods or forces. The Persian
religion Zoroastrianism
is cosmologically dualistic. This cosmology can also often be found in works of fantasy
, often in the form of a benevolent creator and a malicious evil anti-deity, as this provides a clearly defined line between good
and evil
. A notable example of this is Robert Jordan
's The Wheel of Time
series (the Creator and the Dark One
).
Idealism
is the belief that only consciousness
exists. The various features of the world may be thought of as "ideas in the mind of God." Various forms of idealism can be compatible with either theism or atheism. The British philosopher George Berkeley
was an idealist, as was the German philosopher Hegel. See: Hindu idealism
, Buddhist idealism, Platonic idealism
, German idealism
, British Idealism
, Panpsychism
.
Acosmism
is the belief that neither the self
nor the universe has ever existed. This is held by some forms of strict Advaita Vedanta
, a Hindu
philosophy. The Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna
, whose beliefs are called voidism, or nihilism (in the Eastern, rather than the Western sense), believed that the world neither exists, nor does it not exist.
before the Copernican Revolution
. Especially since Einstein's theories, cosmology has been primarily concerned with physics
(see physical cosmology
). But the Great Ideas of the Western World defines metaphysical cosmology as "holding the universe in your hand as if it was a single intelligible object," to which it must be added, "for the purpose of defining Man's place in the universe," not to mention the place of the person "holding" the universe. Physics takes the world apart piece by ever smaller piece, trying to figure out the puzzle of existence. Metaphysical cosmology puts the universe into one comprehensible object so that it may be examined as the whole. From this method, the "first science" of metaphysics can generate theories, but not science.
According to the PBS program Faith & Reason, cosmology is a "branch of study concerned with the origins and nature of the universe." But this describes physical cosmology as well. The difference between them is that physical cosmology takes a dim view of "theoretical" metaphysics; what cannot be proved by science has little account in physics. However, the epistemological principle of discovering "cosmos
" from "chaos
" has traditionally been to accept the findings of either the metaphysics or the science of cosmology, then "develop the consequences."
Metaphysical cosmology did not give way easily to physics. Copernicus developed the "heliocentric" theory of the universe, and when Galileo backed him up, the cosmology of the Roman Church
, cosmology built on the solid foundation of Aristotle
's metaphysics as introduced into the Church by Thomas Aquinas
, received a shock heard throughout the Western World: the Earth was not the center of the universe. Galileo was put on trial for contradicting the Church, but his case won, with the resultant phenomenon of the "Copernican Revolution," so called ever since.
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
is the reflection on the totality of all phenomena. It contrasts with physical cosmology
Physical cosmology
Physical cosmology, as a branch of astronomy, is the study of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of the universe and is concerned with fundamental questions about its formation and evolution. For most of human history, it was a branch of metaphysics and religion...
, the study of the origin of the universe in scientific terms after the Copernican Revolution
Copernican Revolution
The Copernican Revolution refers to the paradigm shift away from the Ptolemaic model of the heavens, which postulated the Earth at the center of the galaxy, towards the heliocentric model with the Sun at the center of our Solar System...
.
Metaphysical naturalism
Metaphysical naturalism
Metaphysical naturalism, also called ontological naturalism and philosophical naturalism, or just naturalism, is a philosophical worldview and belief system that holds that there is nothing but natural elements, principles, and relations of the kind studied by the natural sciences, i.e., those...
is the belief that the physical universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
is all that exists
Existence
In common usage, existence is the world we are aware of through our senses, and that persists independently without them. In academic philosophy the word has a more specialized meaning, being contrasted with essence, which specifies different forms of existence as well as different identity...
. Materialism
Materialism
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
and energeticism
Energeticism
Energeticism is the ontology, or philosophy of being, which holds that all things are ultimately composed of energy. It is opposed to ontological materialism and idealism. Energeticism might be associated with the physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach, though his attitude to it is ambiguous...
are two naturalistic cosmologies.
Theistic cosmologies
TheismTheism
Theism, in the broadest sense, is the belief that at least one deity exists.In a more specific sense, theism refers to a doctrine concerning the nature of a monotheistic God and God's relationship to the universe....
is the belief that a God or gods exists as a supernatural entity that created the universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
and governs its outcome. Types of theism include monotheism
Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one and only one god. Monotheism is characteristic of the Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Druzism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.While they profess the existence of only one deity, monotheistic religions may still...
and polytheism
Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
. The Abrahamic religions are theisms.
Pantheism
Pantheism
Pantheism is the view that the Universe and God are identical. Pantheists thus do not believe in a personal, anthropomorphic or creator god. The word derives from the Greek meaning "all" and the Greek meaning "God". As such, Pantheism denotes the idea that "God" is best seen as a process of...
is the belief that God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and the universe have a one-to-one correspondence or the universe is a manifestation of God. The philosopher Spinoza was a pantheist. Panentheism
Panentheism
Panentheism is a belief system which posits that God exists, interpenetrates every part of nature and timelessly extends beyond it...
or emanationism
Emanationism
Emanationism is an idea in the cosmology or cosmogony of certain religious or philosophical systems. Emanation, from the Latin emanare meaning "to flow from" or "to pour forth or out of", is the mode by which all things are derived from the First Reality, or Principle...
is the belief that the entire universe is part of God, but God is greater than the universe. The Neo-Platonic philosopher Plotinus
Plotinus
Plotinus was a major philosopher of the ancient world. In his system of theory there are the three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition...
was an emanationist.
Deism
Deism
Deism in religious philosophy is the belief that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine that the universe is the product of an all-powerful creator. According to deists, the creator does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the...
is the belief that God or gods created the universe, set everything in motion
Motion (physics)
In physics, motion is a change in position of an object with respect to time. Change in action is the result of an unbalanced force. Motion is typically described in terms of velocity, acceleration, displacement and time . An object's velocity cannot change unless it is acted upon by a force, as...
, and then had nothing more to do with it. God remains completely transcendent
Transcendence (religion)
In religion transcendence refers to the aspect of God's nature which is wholly independent of the physical universe. This is contrasted with immanence where God is fully present in the physical world and thus accessible to creatures in various ways...
to the creation after creating it.
Other cosmologies
Cosmological dualismDualism
Dualism denotes a state of two parts. The term 'dualism' was originally coined to denote co-eternal binary opposition, a meaning that is preserved in metaphysical and philosophical duality discourse but has been diluted in general or common usages. Dualism can refer to moral dualism, Dualism (from...
(as opposed to body-mind dualism
Dualism (philosophy of mind)
In philosophy of mind, dualism is a set of views about the relationship between mind and matter, which begins with the claim that mental phenomena are, in some respects, non-physical....
) is the belief that there are two gods or metaphysical force
Force
In physics, a force is any influence that causes an object to undergo a change in speed, a change in direction, or a change in shape. In other words, a force is that which can cause an object with mass to change its velocity , i.e., to accelerate, or which can cause a flexible object to deform...
s and the universe is a product of these gods or forces. The Persian
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
religion Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
is cosmologically dualistic. This cosmology can also often be found in works of fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, often in the form of a benevolent creator and a malicious evil anti-deity, as this provides a clearly defined line between good
Good
Good may refer to:* Good and evil - The distinction between positive and negative entities* Good - Objects produced for market* Form of the Good - Plato's macrocosmic view of goodness in living* Good...
and evil
Evil
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
. A notable example of this is Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr. , under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.-Biography:Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina...
's The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under the pen name Robert Jordan. Originally planned as a six-book series, the length was increased by increments; at the time of Rigney's death, he expected it to be 12, but it will actually...
series (the Creator and the Dark One
Dark One
The Dark One is a fictional character in the The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It is the main antagonist; bound to its prison at the moment of Creation and partially freed during the Age of Legends , it is the primary source of evil in the series.-Character:In The Wheel of Time books,...
).
Idealism
Idealism
In philosophy, idealism is the family of views which assert that reality, or reality as we can know it, is fundamentally mental, mentally constructed, or otherwise immaterial. Epistemologically, idealism manifests as a skepticism about the possibility of knowing any mind-independent thing...
is the belief that only consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
exists. The various features of the world may be thought of as "ideas in the mind of God." Various forms of idealism can be compatible with either theism or atheism. The British philosopher George Berkeley
George Berkeley
George Berkeley , also known as Bishop Berkeley , was an Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism"...
was an idealist, as was the German philosopher Hegel. See: Hindu idealism
Hindu idealism
There are currents of idealism in classical Hindu philosophy.Idealism and materialism are the principal monist ontologies.A related branch is the Buddhist concept of consciousness-only.Idealist notions have been supported by the Vedanta and Yoga schools...
, Buddhist idealism, Platonic idealism
Platonic idealism
Platonic idealism usually refers to Plato's theory of forms or doctrine of ideas,Some commentators hold Plato argued that truth is an abstraction...
, German idealism
German idealism
German idealism was a philosophical movement that emerged in Germany in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It developed out of the work of Immanuel Kant in the 1780s and 1790s, and was closely linked both with romanticism and the revolutionary politics of the Enlightenment...
, British Idealism
British idealism
A species of absolute idealism, British idealism was a philosophical movement that was influential in Britain from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. The leading figures in the movement were T.H. Green , F. H. Bradley , and Bernard Bosanquet . They were succeeded by the...
, Panpsychism
Panpsychism
In philosophy, panpsychism is the view that all matter has a mental aspect, or, alternatively, all objects have a unified center of experience or point of view...
.
Acosmism
Acosmism
Acosmism, in contrast to pantheism, denies the reality of the universe, seeing it as ultimately illusory, , and only the infinite unmanifest Absolute as real....
is the belief that neither the self
Self (philosophy)
The philosophy of self defines the essential qualities that make one person distinct from all others. There have been numerous approaches to defining these qualities. The self is the idea of a unified being which is the source of consciousness. Moreover, this self is the agent responsible for the...
nor the universe has ever existed. This is held by some forms of strict Advaita Vedanta
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
, a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
philosophy. The Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna
Nagarjuna
Nāgārjuna was an important Buddhist teacher and philosopher. Along with his disciple Āryadeva, he is credited with founding the Mādhyamaka school of Mahāyāna Buddhism...
, whose beliefs are called voidism, or nihilism (in the Eastern, rather than the Western sense), believed that the world neither exists, nor does it not exist.
Metaphysics and the Single Intelligible Object
Cosmology was a subject of metaphysicsMetaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
before the Copernican Revolution
Copernican Revolution
The Copernican Revolution refers to the paradigm shift away from the Ptolemaic model of the heavens, which postulated the Earth at the center of the galaxy, towards the heliocentric model with the Sun at the center of our Solar System...
. Especially since Einstein's theories, cosmology has been primarily concerned with physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
(see physical cosmology
Physical cosmology
Physical cosmology, as a branch of astronomy, is the study of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of the universe and is concerned with fundamental questions about its formation and evolution. For most of human history, it was a branch of metaphysics and religion...
). But the Great Ideas of the Western World defines metaphysical cosmology as "holding the universe in your hand as if it was a single intelligible object," to which it must be added, "for the purpose of defining Man's place in the universe," not to mention the place of the person "holding" the universe. Physics takes the world apart piece by ever smaller piece, trying to figure out the puzzle of existence. Metaphysical cosmology puts the universe into one comprehensible object so that it may be examined as the whole. From this method, the "first science" of metaphysics can generate theories, but not science.
According to the PBS program Faith & Reason, cosmology is a "branch of study concerned with the origins and nature of the universe." But this describes physical cosmology as well. The difference between them is that physical cosmology takes a dim view of "theoretical" metaphysics; what cannot be proved by science has little account in physics. However, the epistemological principle of discovering "cosmos
Cosmos
In the general sense, a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system. It originates from the Greek term κόσμος , meaning "order" or "ornament" and is antithetical to the concept of chaos. Today, the word is generally used as a synonym of the word Universe . The word cosmos originates from the same root...
" from "chaos
Chaos (cosmogony)
Chaos refers to the formless or void state preceding the creation of the universe or cosmos in the Greek creation myths, more specifically the initial "gap" created by the original separation of heaven and earth....
" has traditionally been to accept the findings of either the metaphysics or the science of cosmology, then "develop the consequences."
Metaphysical cosmology did not give way easily to physics. Copernicus developed the "heliocentric" theory of the universe, and when Galileo backed him up, the cosmology of the Roman Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, cosmology built on the solid foundation of Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
's metaphysics as introduced into the Church by Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
, received a shock heard throughout the Western World: the Earth was not the center of the universe. Galileo was put on trial for contradicting the Church, but his case won, with the resultant phenomenon of the "Copernican Revolution," so called ever since.
See also
- AnimismAnimismAnimism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
- Buddhist cosmologyBuddhist cosmologyBuddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the Universe according to the canonical Buddhist scriptures and commentaries.-Introduction:...
- Cosmic pluralismCosmic pluralismCosmic pluralism, the plurality of worlds, or simply pluralism, describes the belief in numerous other worlds which harbour extraterrestrial life. The debate over pluralism began as early as the time of Thales Cosmic pluralism, the plurality of worlds, or simply pluralism, describes the belief in...
- CosmogonyCosmogonyCosmogony, or cosmogeny, is any scientific theory concerning the coming into existence or origin of the universe, or about how reality came to be. The word comes from the Greek κοσμογονία , from κόσμος "cosmos, the world", and the root of γίνομαι / γέγονα "to be born, come about"...
- CreationismCreationismCreationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
- DualismDualismDualism denotes a state of two parts. The term 'dualism' was originally coined to denote co-eternal binary opposition, a meaning that is preserved in metaphysical and philosophical duality discourse but has been diluted in general or common usages. Dualism can refer to moral dualism, Dualism (from...
- DynamismDynamism (metaphysics)Dynamism is a metaphysical concept conceived by Gottfried Leibniz and developed into a full system of cosmology. Dynamism in metaphysical cosmology explains the material world in terms of active, pointlike forces, with no extension but with action at a distance...
- EpiphenomenalismEpiphenomenalismIn philosophy of mind, epiphenomenalism, also known as Type-E Dualism, is a view that "mental" states do not have any influence on "physical" states.-Background:...
- Esoteric cosmologyEsoteric cosmologyEsoteric cosmology is cosmology that is an intrinsic part of an esoteric or occult system of thought. It almost always deals with at least some of the following themes: emanation, involution, spiritual evolution, epigenesis, planes of existence or higher worlds , hierarchies of spiritual beings,...
- Hindu cosmologyHindu cosmologyIn Hindu cosmology the universe is, according to Hindu mythology and Vedic cosmology, cyclically created and destroyed.-Description:The Hindu cosmology and timeline is the closest to modern scientific timelines and even more which might indicate that the Big Bang is not the beginning of everything...
- HolismHolismHolism is the idea that all the properties of a given system cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone...
- HyleHyleIn philosophy, hyle refers to matter or stuff. It can also be the material cause underlying a change in Aristotelian philosophy. The Greeks originally had no word for matter in general, as opposed to raw material suitable for some specific purpose or other, so Aristotle adapted the word for...
- Hylomorphism
- MechanismMechanism (philosophy)Mechanism is the belief that natural wholes are like machines or artifacts, composed of parts lacking any intrinsic relationship to each other, and with their order imposed from without. Thus, the source of an apparent thing's activities is not the whole itself, but its parts or an external...
- MeontologyMeontologyMeontology is the philosophical study of non-being.The word comes from the Ancient Greek μή - me "non" and ὄν - on "being" . It refers not exactly to the study of what does not exist, but an attempt to cover what may remain outside of ontology...
- Metaphysical naturalismMetaphysical naturalismMetaphysical naturalism, also called ontological naturalism and philosophical naturalism, or just naturalism, is a philosophical worldview and belief system that holds that there is nothing but natural elements, principles, and relations of the kind studied by the natural sciences, i.e., those...
- Modal realismModal realismModal realism is the view, notably propounded by David Kellogg Lewis, that all possible worlds are as real as the actual world. It is based on the following tenets: possible worlds exist; possible worlds are not different in kind from the actual world; possible worlds are irreducible entities; the...
- MonismMonismMonism is any philosophical view which holds that there is unity in a given field of inquiry. Accordingly, some philosophers may hold that the universe is one rather than dualistic or pluralistic...
- OntologyOntologyOntology is the philosophical study of the nature of being, existence or reality as such, as well as the basic categories of being and their relations...
- Pancomputationalism
- Philosophical realismPhilosophical realismContemporary philosophical realism is the belief that our reality, or some aspect of it, is ontologically independent of our conceptual schemes, linguistic practices, beliefs, etc....
- Popperian cosmologyPopperian cosmologyPopper's three worlds is a way of looking at reality, described by the Austrian philosopher Karl Popper in a lecture in 1978. The concept involves three interacting worlds, called World 1, World 2 and World 3.-Worlds 1, 2 and 3:...
- Process philosophyProcess philosophyProcess philosophy identifies metaphysical reality with change and dynamism. Since the time of Plato and Aristotle, philosophers have posited true reality as "timeless", based on permanent substances, whilst processes are denied or subordinated to timeless substances...