Word To Use Today If You Think You're Hard Enough: metaphysics. A rant.

How often have I looked up the meaning of the word metaphysical? Exactly as often as the slippery concept has slid from my mind, that's how often. Very often indeed.

I love the metaphysical poets - John Donne, George Herbert, Andrew Marvell, are all heroes of mine - but even when I know what it means I've never been able to work out how they are, well, metaphysical.

I know that meta is Greek for after, and that physic can mean a) physics; b) medicine; or, formerly, c) the natural world. But what comes after any of those?

...hang on, what does the dictionary say?

the system of first principles and assumptions underlying an enquiry or philosophical theory

but, hang on, meta means after, and first principles must surely come before. What on earth is going on?

Well, as it turns out, joke and an idiot editor, that's what.

Grrr.

Word To Use Today If You Think You're Hard Enough: metaphysics.

The metaphysical poets seem to be so called because of a waspish comment of Dryden's. 

He affects the metaphysics, not only in his satires, but in his amorous verses, where nature only should reign, and perplexes the minds of the fair sex with nice speculations of philosophy, when he should engage their hearts and entertain them with the softnesses of love.

The philosophical kind of metaphysics is so called because the editors who were putting together Aristotle's complete works put the chapters on nature before the chapters on philosophy. So the philosophical bits come after the bits on nature: so they're meta physic, or after nature. Geddit?

Duhhhhhhhhhhh...