Metaphysics is a central area of philosophy and has been throughout philosophy’s history. Metaphysical issues are typically of great generality and often independent of the results of scientific inquiry. Is there a world beyond my experience? If so, how does it relate to my experience? Are there physical objects? What is a physical object? Is time real, or is my sense of time's passage an illusion? What is it for one thing to cause another? What kinds of things are there?