Metaphysics is the world outlook and method of thinking opposite to dialectics. The term metaphysics originated from the Latin word metaphysica, originally meaning “after physics”, which refers to the doctrine that studies supra-empirical objects beyond the tangible. The classical German philosopher Hegel used the term “metaphysics” to refer to the method of thinking opposite to dialectics and gave it a new meaning. The term “metaphysics” as used in Marxist philosophy usually has the latter meaning. Mao Zedong said: “Throughout the history of human knowledge, there have been two conceptions concerning the law of development of the universe, the metaphysical conception and the dialectical conception, which form two opposing world outlooks.” . . .
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