Aristotle’s “Metaphysics,” a profoundly influential masterpiece in Western philosophy, comprises a series of fourteen treatises or books. The title, not of Aristotle’s origin, is attributed to a Hellenistic editor, conventionally identified as Andronicus of Rhodes (1st century BCE). The term “Metaphysics” translates to “the things after the physical things,” potentially alluding to the sequence of the metaphysical books in the Hellenistic edition of Aristotle’s works (following the physical books). Alternatively, it may signify the suggested order in which metaphysical concepts should be studied in an ideal educational curriculum, following an exploration of physics. It’s crucial to note that Aristotle did not compile the books of the Metaphysics into a cohesive work. Instead, this compilation likely occurred under the direction of Andronicus or another individual based on thematic affinities among the treatises. While the Metaphysics lacks unity in the conventional sense, it is evident that the various treatises within the collection collectively pursue a broader philosophical endeavor or discipline. Aristotle refers to this discipline as “wisdom,” “first philosophy,” or even “theology” throughout the text. Described in the Metaphysics as a theoretical science, this discipline stands apart from practical and productive sciences and is distinctly categorized from the other two theoretical sciences, namely physics and mathematics.

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