Abstract

Metaphysics or the knowledge of knowledge itself is one of the main threads in the history of philosophy. Metaphysics is distinguished from “adding word” philosophy in that the latter is knowledge related to what the added words express. The essence of the distinction here is that metaphysics deals with what is a priori, while the study of adding word philosophies is empirical. Metaphysical inquiry always revolves around sentences, for knowledge is expressed in language, and sentences are the basic unit for the expression of knowledge. Sentences involve three aspects: at the linguistic level, the basic sentence pattern is “S is P”; at the level of sense, it is what language expresses; and at the reference level, the core concept is “truth.” Metaphysical inquiry always revolves around “being” and “truth,” and concerns the three levels above. The third level in particular reveals the conditions for the truth of a sentence, and helps explain the first two levels. We need to grasp the essence and characteristics of metaphysics and develop the study of metaphysics as a means of advancing philosophical research.

摘要

形而上学或知识本身的知识是哲学史上的主线之一。形而上学与“加词”哲学的区别在于，后者是与加词所表达的内容相关的知识。这里区别的本质是形而上学处理的是先天的，而添加词哲学的研究是经验性的。形而上学的探究总是围绕着句子展开，因为知识是用语言表达的，句子是知识表达的基本单位。句子涉及三个方面：在语言层面，基本句型是“S is P”；在感官层面，它是语言所表达的；在参考层面，核心概念是“真相”。形而上学的探究总是围绕着“存在”和“真理”展开，涉及上述三个层面。第三层次尤其揭示了句子为真的条件，并有助于解释前两个层次。我们要把握形而上学的本质和特点，把形而上学的研究作为推进哲学研究的手段。