Tragedy to be the highest from of drama, even though agreeing with the assessment. — Janus

Aristotle's understanding of tragedy is quite insightful. Nietzsche misread Aristotle's notion of pity as a Christian concept.

I agree with Nietzsche regarding the importance of taste for one's philosophy. — Fooloso4

I do not understand what you mean.

This must be considered in light of his pervasive use of image — Fooloso4

No, words are not images.

What do you take metaphysics to be? — Manuel

Statements of first principles. How one thinks the universe as a whole is.

As to specific philosophers, I don't read in that topic anymore.

But not of one thinks they already know what is and is not just. — Fooloso4

Arrogance. A psychological problem.

I still maintain that what one person calls "metaphysics" another says isn't or is bad philosophy, etc. I think metaphysics now is more obscure than it was during Descartes time, because the topics are much more technical, and we know less that the classical figures hoped we could know. — Manuel

I am afraid I do not understand the problem.

Nietzsche aligns himself with Aristotle's notion of eudamonia, "good spirit" or "flourishing", but I don't have time to search for a reference for that. — Janus

I think you are correct. Though, I do not think Nietzsche discusses Aristotle.

I still puzzle over it, after having spent considerable time on it. — Manuel

Check out https://philpapers.org/ . There is a list of categories of published papers by philosophers. Metaphysics has over 50,000.

Rorty used to say that philosophy is what philosophers do. Sounds trite, but he had a point.

It is however, fiendishly hard to pin-point what it actually is, outside of saying that it's about the nature of the world. — Manuel

Lots of philosophy articles being published in metaphysics. I do not see the problem.

I think that, despite not being capable of arriving at definite conclusions, the journey is very much its own reward. Of course, your miles will vary. — Manuel

Metaphysics is no different from every other branch of philosophy.

If we had conscription and more conventional wars, the number of school shootings would decrease (in the US anyway). — Tate

The US has a lot of undeclared wars all over the planet.

I am more Aristotelian. Plato is too romantic and false for me.

And as an artist, Plato's bashing of images is offensive.

Socrates acted in accordance with what seemed to him to be just, but was willing to change his mind given an argument he found persuasive or evidence that he was wrong. — Fooloso4

That seems pretty normal.

Which do you think is preferable, to think you know what you do not know or to know you are ignorant? — Fooloso4

My criticism of Plato is that he reduces the universe to knowledge claims. That the universe itself is a form of knoweldge.

If anything, the idea that metaphysics can be eliminated may be a form of concrete thinking, as if there is one way of seeing reality rather than the plurality of possibilities. — Jack Cummins

Good point.

Which do you think is preferable, to think you know what you do not know or to know you are ignorant? — Fooloso4

False modesty. I know what I know and act on it.

Hence Socrates profession of ignorance, — Fooloso4

I don't find that inspiring.

I never read posts about wiki. Later

Then it should discipline itself by agreeing upon a definition. — jgill

You could say that of logic, epistemology, aesthetics, ethics, or politics.

Calling metaphysics a "discipline" is quite a stretch. — jgill

It is a branch of philosophy like epistemology or ethics.

Even in thinking of the approach of language being a limitation, it is possible to see Wittgenstein as a mystic, — Jack Cummins

How is Wittgenstein a mystic?

Nietzsche is a good writer. Kant is a very bad writer.

When does metaphysical border on mystical? Eliminating metaphysics (which I consider impossible without severely crippling philosophy) would remove all the entertaining babble about quantum entanglement, for example. — jgill

What does the discipline of metphysics have to do with quantum entanglement?

In "An Essay on Metaphysics" he writes that our assumptions, what he calls "absolute presuppositions," are the essence of, the subject of, metaphysics. — Clarky

Yes, and that is what Aristotle meant by "first philosophy."

Any skeptical arguments, any meta-criticism of metaphysics, any polemics on the nature of reality must necessarily use the very same tool that metaphysicians use. — L'éléphant

I never understood the fear of metaphysics.

I believe Aristotle never used the term "metaphysics." In the work by that name he refers to "first philosophy." A minor point perhaps, but indicates that metaphysics is no different in kind than politics, epistemology, or aesthetics.

I think Socratic philosophy is grounded in the world of everyday experience. — Fooloso4

How does one experience the forms? I can know particular things about justice, but how does one experience the form of justice?

If you post a specific text then others might be able to comment.

Difference precedes identity. — Joshs

Agree.

Living here in Texas, I see a lot of adults who like playing cowboy, and identify with the cowboy myths perpetuated by westerns. — Relativist

Yes. Guns are part of a culture. Gun people think slaughters are acceptable risks.

financial markets will all collapse, followed by all the populations lapsing into chaos and war? — TonesInDeepFreeze

Like the tv show Lost in Space. The robot flashing lights, that does not compute, that does not compute!

It may be that the understanding of reality, in commonsense or philosophy appears to be a fairly accurate picture. However, it is still about constructing models, which may have to be altered on the basis of new 'facts'. In that sense, all knowledge, including science is still speculative to some extent, because aspects of it may have to be revised or attuned to further details. — Jack Cummins

Then, "speculative" may not be the right word.

The branch of philosophy that attempts to construct a general, speculative worldview — Jack Cummins

I would not agree it is speculative.

Will you give a definition of metaphysics?

Metaphysics is a popular specialty in philosophy departments.

Wrong. The hard problem exposes the fetish of physicalists with their naive realism and dualists with their inability to explain how two opposing substances can interact. — Harry Hindu

I am correct. Good day!

I don't see how these 3 quotes from you are consistent. — Hanover

What is inconsistent?

Then what is subjective? — Hanover

That is the topic of the thread. I am saying the subject--object dichotomy is false. I gave reasons why.

The debate typically centers upon how we explain the experience versus the object. — Hanover

Yes. I saying experience is objective.

Share with me that quote. — Hanover

30 (Nov. 1887-March 1888; rev. 1888)
The time has come when we have to pay for having been
Christians for two thousand years: we are losing the center of
gravity by virtue of which we lived; We are lost for a while.
Abruptly we plunge into the opposite valuations, with all the
energy that such an extreme overvaluation of man has generated
in man.
Now everything is false through and through, mere "words'
chaotic, weak, or extravagant:

http://www.newforestcentre.info/uploads/7/5/7/2/7572906/nietzsche_-_the_will_to_power.pdf