The Great Substitution: Metaphysics to Metaphysics

Philosophics — Philosophical and Political Ramblings · Nov 11, 2025 · 16m

This segment discusses an essay titled "The Great Substitution: From Metaphysics to Metaphysics," written by independent scholar Bry Willis in 2025. The core argument is that modern philosophy's attempts to abolish metaphysics have merely resulted in a "Great Substitution," where metaphysical frameworks are continually replaced by new systems under different names, such as dataism, scientism, or transcendental idealism. Willis genealogically traces this recursion through thinkers like Kant, Nietzsche, and Heidegger, arguing that categories like reason, history, structure, language, and…