Excerpt from Metaphysics If, however, we turn from the inspiring title to the writ ings themselves, illusions about the supernatural character of metaphysics tend to disappear. There is, so we are told by the Stagirite, a science which investigates exist ence as existence and whatever belongs to existence as such. It is identical with none of the sciences which are defined less generally. For none of these professedly considers existence as existence, but each, restricting itself to some aspect of it, investigates the general aspect only incidentally, as do the mathematical sciences. The em phasis is thus put by Aristotle on fact and on nature, but it is put on fact and nature as we attempt to View them with at once the least and with the greatest restriction: with the least restriction, because we are invited to View nature in the light of her most comprehensive characters; with the greatest restriction, because we are invited to view her stripped of her wonderful diversity. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.