Metaphysics: the Scientific Study of Unquantifiable Subjects
An Essay by Tina M. Miller
While I understand metaphysics was originally considered a branch of philosophy related
to natural science, I believe the popular definition breaking metaphysics into mysticism and
occultism is more apt. Classifying Aristotle and similar scholars under academic metaphysics
makes sense to me if defined as theoretical (i.e. philosophical) metaphysics. Science dealing with
space and time or science leading to such discoveries as paraphrased in “the observer influences
the actions of whatever is observed simply by observing,” seem to properly fit under pure and
applied metaphysics. While I find both of these branches interesting, I am most interested in what
is currently classified as popular metaphysics as I myself define it: the scientific study of
unquantifiable subjects.
Scientific knowledge continues to expand exponentially and Western civilization is based
on science. We have classified and codified the natural physical world more or less completely.
We have not been able, however, to answer many fundamental underlying questions that, in the
end, relate to the nature of our existence. For me, the popular metaphysical category of
mysticism relates to experience and remains largely anecdotal and thus unverifiable. The second
category of occultism, especially as related to psychical research, relates to observable events or
actions and is open to research which may someday lead to quantification.
Controversial phenomena that I personally allocate under metaphysics include most
spiritual practices but exclude institutional religion. Institutional religions, especially Christianity,
discourage their members from demanding proof. Everything is to be taken on faith. Personal
experience is looked at with a high degree of skepticism which can lead to accusations of heresy.
Sometimes religious doctrine is disguised by philosophical discourse, but such discourse is
undertaken to prove that dogma is true and not to discover truth. Studying religion crossculturally clearly expands our understanding of society, human nature and human
consciousness, but fails to answer real questions about the underlying nature of existence in the
end.
Altering our perceptions in various ways will often lead us to experiences of phenomena
which can be documented by scientific and logical means. That doesn’t make those experiences
scientific however. I personally include such practices as meditation, energy healing and
diagnosis, shamanism, telepathy, intuition and precognition, spiritualism and divination. I keep
an open mind about most things though. You could say I’m a skeptic but not a cynic. I have had
what I consider believable experiences of metaphysical phenomenon, but I usually can’t
reproduce them and certainly not on anybody else’s time table. Yet I know individuals exist who
can and some have had their achievements documented.
In the end, metaphysics is the study of phenomena and subjects which go beyond the
boundaries of what we can currently document scientifically. The boundaries of “hard” science
and metaphysics change continuously as human knowledge changes. I believe that as those
boundaries change, we will always discover new questions and new frontiers suitable for
metaphysical discussion.