Projects

This page is a curated collection of well-written, step-by-step guides for learning Metaphysics through hands-on, project-based practice.

What I cannot create, I do not understand — Richard Feynman.

These projects are meant to support learning throughout the curriculum, not only at the end.
By building, writing, creating, or reconstructing real artifacts in the field, learners develop practical understanding alongside theoretical study.

Tutorials

• Ontological Framework
• Categorical System
• Metaphysics of Modality
• Theory of Substance
• Account of Properties
• Theory of Universals
• Causal Structure
• Metaphysics of Time
• Metaphysics of Space
• Constitution and Composition Account
• Personal Identity Theory
• Fundamental Ontology
• Metaphysical System
• Possible Worlds Framework
• Essence and Identity Theory

Ontological Framework

• Ontology Development 101: A Guide to Creating Your First Ontology (PDF Guide / Step-by-step methodology)
• Tutorial on Ontological Engineering (PDF Tutorial Series / Procedural introduction)

Categorical System

• Ontology Development 101: A Guide to Creating Your First Ontology (PDF Guide / Step-by-step methodology)
• Creating an ontology from scratch (Online Tutorial / Thought-process walkthrough)

Metaphysics of Modality

• Metaphysics of Modality: Introduction Part 1 (Video Lecture / Introductory reasoning on necessity and possibility)
• Metaphysics of Modality: Introduction Part 2, Possible Worlds (Video Lecture / Stepwise explanation of possible worlds semantics)

Theory of Substance

• Substance (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) (Online Encyclopedia Entry) — Offers a clear reconstruction of major historical and contemporary accounts (Aristotle, Descartes, bundle theories, substratum theories), highlighting the core questions and criteria any adequate theory must address, enabling systematic development of one's position.
• A beginner's guide to Aristotle on matter, form, and substance (Book Chapter Excerpt) — Provides a focused walkthrough of Aristotle's foundational framework for substance, serving as a paradigmatic model that learners can adapt, extend, or critique when building their own theory.

Account of Properties

• Properties (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) (Online Encyclopedia Entry) — Surveys the main theories (Platonism, nominalism, trope theory, etc.) with precise criteria for adequacy, allowing readers to map out and construct their preferred account by weighing trade-offs.
• The Metaphysics of Properties (PDF Article) — Presents a rigorous examination of property theories and their ontological commitments, modeling how to formulate and defend a coherent position through systematic argumentation.

Theory of Universals

• Universals (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) (Online Encyclopedia Entry) — Explains the core problem and major solutions (realism, nominalism, conceptualism) with clear examples, providing a framework for articulating and justifying one's own stance.
• The Problem of Universals - YouTube (Video Explanation) — Breaks down the problem with intuitive examples and contrasts positions, serving as a pedagogical starting point for reconstructing arguments and developing a personal resolution.

Causal Structure

• The Metaphysics of Causation (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) (Online Encyclopedia Entry) — Systematically outlines competing theories (regularity, counterfactual, process, probabilistic, etc.) and their strengths/weaknesses, guiding the reader through the process of evaluating and potentially synthesizing or selecting a causal account.
• Regularity and Inferential Theories of Causation (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) (Online Encyclopedia Entry) — Focuses on foundational regularity approaches while contrasting alternatives, modeling how to build and refine a causal theory from basic commitments.

Metaphysics of Time

• Presentism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) (Online Encyclopedia Entry) — Details presentism alongside eternalism and growing block theory, including key arguments and objections, enabling learners to construct and defend their preferred metaphysics of time.
• A Critical Introduction to the Metaphysics of Time (PDF Book Introduction) — Provides a structured survey of major positions with critical analysis, serving as a pedagogical model for reasoning through temporal ontology.

Metaphysics of Space

• Time, metaphysics of (Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy excerpt on space-time parallels) (PDF Encyclopedia Entry Excerpt) — While focused on time, it explicitly draws parallels to space (absolutism vs. relationalism), offering transferable argumentative strategies for developing a metaphysics of space.
• The Metaphysics of Space (various SEP cross-references, e.g., via spacetime entries) (Related Online Encyclopedia Entries) — Entries on spacetime substantivalism and relationalism model the key distinctions and debates, supporting analogous construction for spatial metaphysics.

Constitution and Composition Account

• Mereology (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) (Online Encyclopedia Entry) — Surveys theories of parthood, composition, and constitution (e.g., universalism, nihilism, restricted views), providing the conceptual toolkit and examples needed to formulate one's own account.
• Constitution and Composition (cross-referenced in material constitution entries) (Online Encyclopedia Entry) — Focuses on puzzles of constitution (e.g., statue/lump) and major solutions, modeling rigorous ways to develop and argue for a position on how wholes relate to parts.

Personal Identity Theory

• Personal Identity: Crash Course Philosophy #19 (Video / Clear walkthrough of key theories to inform your own view)

Fundamental Ontology

• Ontology Development 101: A Guide to Creating Your First Ontology (PDF Guide / Foundational steps adaptable to philosophical ontology)

Metaphysical System

• How To Build Your Own Philosophy (Article / Step-by-step framework for personal philosophical systems)
• How To Create Your Own Original Philosophy For Life (Article / Method for fusing and building metaphysical views)

Possible Worlds Framework

• Possible Worlds (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) (Online Encyclopedia Entry) — Explains realist (Lewisian), ersatzist, and combinatorial approaches with their motivations and challenges, serving as a blueprint for constructing one's own framework.
• Metaphysics of Modality: Introduction Part 2, Possible Worlds (YouTube) (Video Lecture) — Stepwise introduction to possible worlds semantics and ontology, demonstrating how to reason through and build a coherent modal framework.

Essence and Identity Theory

• Essence (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) (Online Encyclopedia Entry) — Outlines Aristotelian, modal, and contemporary essentialist accounts, including criteria for essence and identity, guiding formulation of one's theory through critical engagement.
• Personal Identity (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) (Online Encyclopedia Entry) — Closely related discussion of identity over time with essentialist implications, providing exemplary arguments that can be adapted to broader essence theories.