 Metaphysics. Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the essence of a thing. This includes questions of being, becoming, existence, and reality. The word metaphysics comes from the Greek words that literally mean beyond nature. Nature in this sense refers to the nature of a thing, such as its cause and purpose. Metaphysics then studies questions of a thing beyond or above questions of its nature, in particular its essence or its qualities of being. Metaphysics seeks to answer, in a suitably abstract and fully general manner the questions. What is there and what is it like? Topics of metaphysical investigation include existence, objects and their properties. Space and time, cause and effect, and possibility.