Metaphysical Ideas

noun something that is emitted or sent out

• The philosopher believed that the emanation of light symbolized the divine presence.
• The scientist observed the emanation of gas from the experiment.
• I can smell the funky emanation coming from the fridge.
• Her kindness was like an emanation of warmth that enveloped everyone around her.

noun the belief that the divine exists within all things

• The philosopher discussed the concept of immanence in his latest book.
• I'm not sure I understand the whole immanence thing, can you explain it to me?
• Dude, immanence is like when everything is just all connected, you know?
• The artist's painting captured a sense of immanence, with nature and humanity intertwined in a beautiful way.

adjective remaining within; indwelling; inherent

• The concept of immanent justice is central to many religious beliefs.
• I can feel a sense of immanent change in the air.
• The immanent party is going to be lit!
• The immanent threat of climate change looms over us all.

noun a preternatural being or occurrence

adjective beyond what is normal or natural; supernatural

• The scientist was fascinated by the preternatural abilities of the subject.
• She always had a preternatural sense of when something was about to go wrong.
• That magician has some seriously preternatural skills!
• The athlete's speed on the field was preternatural, almost supernatural.

noun a distinctive feature or characteristic

• The philosopher pondered the quiddity of existence during his lecture.
• I can't quite grasp the quiddity of this math problem.
• I don't get the quiddity of what she's saying.
• The quiddity of her argument lies in its underlying assumptions.

adjective describing something that has not been caused by anything else

• The philosopher argued that the universe could not have been uncaused.
• Some people believe that things can happen uncaused, but I'm not so sure.
• I don't buy into the whole idea of stuff just being uncaused, it doesn't make sense to me.
• The sudden outburst of laughter seemed uncaused by anything happening in the room.

noun the belief that a god or gods created the universe and then became it

• Pandeism is a philosophical belief that combines elements of pantheism and deism.
• Have you heard of pandeism? It's a pretty interesting concept.
• Some people think pandeism is just a fancy way of saying 'everything is God'.
• The idea of pandeism can be seen as a metaphor for the interconnectedness of all things.

noun a person who denies the existence of a beneficial God or any gods

• The acosmist philosopher believed that the universe is fundamentally meaningless and devoid of purpose.
• My friend is such an acosmist, he always talks about how life is just a series of random events.
• Don't be such an acosmist, try to see the beauty and meaning in the world around you.
• Her pessimistic view on life made her seem like an acosmist, unable to see the light in any situation.

noun a Latin term meaning 'action at a distance'

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

• The concept of actio in distans refers to action at a distance in physics.
• Actio in distans is like when you can affect something far away without touching it.
• I heard about actio in distans, it's like magic or something.
• In a figurative sense, actio in distans can be seen as influencing someone's emotions from afar.