But I have convinced myself that there is absolutely nothing in the world, no sky, no earth, no minds, no bodies. Does it now follow that I too do not exist? No: if I convinced myself of something [or thought anything at all] then I certainly existed. But there is a deceiver of supreme power and cunning who is deliberately and constantly deceiving me. In that case I too undoubtedly exist, if he is deceiving me; and let him deceive me as much as he can, he will never bring it about that I am nothing so long as I think that I am something. So, after considering everything very thoroughly, I must finally conclude that the proposition, I am, I exist, is necessarily true whenever it is put forward by me or conceived in my mind.

That is your opinion or interpretation, which I respect.
Descartes was a master of words and logic. He said EXACTLY what he meant..... "I THINK, THEREFORE I AM". Thinking precedes being, thinking is a 'causal agency' of 'being'.

A) The "self" fits into the chain of cause and effect because the 'self' is involved.
Metaphysics sees and experiences 'the self' as at the center of all phenomena. It is 'a belief system'. It is based upon the 'metaphysical fact' that underneath the veils of mind and underneath the veils of the ego (all 'within') is 'the creator'.

B) The sense of 'physical detachment' is not really (metaphysically speaking) an actual detachment. 'Thought' is considered a 'causal agent' and if 'thought' is not involved then the 'causal agent' is a pre-existing pattern (i.e., a belief) embeded in the psyche.
Much of this is a matter of deciding where 'the self' begins and ends.
Metaphysics sees the 'self' as (ultimately) expanding infinitely... 'without' to the ends of the universe and 'within' to the pure creative source that delivered one into 'being'.

C) "Meta" means 'hidden' or 'behind' or 'not visible'.

To test this one needs only to conduct personal experimentation. We can push a button on a TV remote and change the channels. So too can we alter reality by our thoughts. "

Perhaps the 'big' metaphysical (and Socratic) question is: "What happens when God says, "I am not God"?

REPLY
I admit I dont quite know the connection between deconstructionalism and metaphysics... It seems like a monkey with a whole different bannana. But if I were to take a stab at "what is metaphysics?" it would be this. Metaphysics is the philosophical study of being and knowingOF THE QUESTIONANSWER TO THE QUESTION




EXTENSION OF THE ANSWER
It is an ontological study of the primacy of things, or simply, a venture to the origins of substance. At the core of this view is perhaps the most difficult concept that philosophers from Spinoza, Leibniz, etc. have tried to grapple with, which is being qua being, or being as being in itself. What the heck does this mean? This means that being is it itself that is predicable of nothing yet predicated upon. What the heck does that mean??? Being is that substrate that all attributes attach!!! What the heck does that mean then????? Sounds neat and mysterious right... It goes on for quite a bit... well, Aristotelean syllogism that is.

The answer is that consciousness is a potent creative force that Man has not, as yet, become familiar (with). Why? Because 'the powers of consciousness are 'emerging characteristics' that go way beyond 'self awareness' and mundane/general awareness.

Plato says it best.... (interpreted) 'as far as consciousness is concerned, Man is sleeping in a cave unaware that he (Man) is sourcing the phenomena that he observes.... he observes, names and records his observations utterly unaware of his higher powers'.

To simply 'dismiss' the possibility of the existence of these 'higher powers' (in the name of mundane science) is a severe self-imposed limitation.

"I think, therefore I AM"! plus, Plato's "Allegory of the Cave' says it all!

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in my humble and slightly educated opinion, metaphysics is the study of the physics beyond physics. meaning that it is the study of the real essence of the unknowable world. Physics beyond physics

in my humble and slightly educated opinion, metaphysics is the study of the physics beyond physics. meaning that it is the study of the real essence of the unknowable world. Physics beyond physics