The Central Question of Metaphysics The big questions of metaphysics were always predicated on the assumption that the universe was designed; that god, and or gods were behind that design and the it was possible to unpack the underlying logic of the design.
This inevitably led to a series of culturally specific answers which were partial and carried with them the endemic assumptions of the progenitor culture.
Now we know better. Metaphysics is now a language game as all the "first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, identity, time, and space" are culturally constructed.
All attempts to employ objective and therefor cross cultural answers to these questions is all about science, and it would do scientists the world of good to get themselves a few pointers in metaphysics. All that seems to lie behind the material world has been placed there by the study of science, which, historically has been 90% false, and in development all the time.
This would either help them learn some humility and build more speculative and critical ideas about the universe or, like many philosophy students have found; teach them just enough to screw them up for the rest of their lives.