Meta- as Dream-

Since Aristotle, studies explaining how a certain field works has been known as "meta" (from the Greek root 'beyond'). He called his study of why the laws of nature or physics behave the way they do Metaphysics (some 'first mover' that caused the laws of nature). 

In modern times we use meta a lot. Metaethics is the study of why there are ethics or 'laws' of freedom (free will). Metaepistemology examines the nature of the study of knoweldge itself (hence the term metaepistemological scepticism - critiquing this discipline generally). 

I think, due to the many (innovative but different) thinkers around the globe, terms have been thrown around, and it's paramount and beneficial that we synthesize terms which have the same meaning but are different words. So when I think of psychoanalysis, then, I wonder why the term 'psycho' (from the Greek psuche meaning soul / mind) is used. It's not the analysis of the mind per se - that's the job of neuroscience and psychology among other "scientific" disciplines. Freud's field is clearly beyond these traditional scientific (yielding a truth or false result) systems. Hence, it seems clear that we should start wording his system as 'metaanalysis.'

Such a feat isn't immediate but if we habituate ourselves over time, then, I think, we will be using metaanalysis spontaneously and allowing our understanding freer rein when encountering the ever-increasing problems of our new age.

I also propose that 'Meta' is really 'dream': metaanalysis is dream analysis of course, but also metaphysics, I argue, is "dream physics" - the structure of our dream world and the laws it is governed by. Metaethics - dream ethics - were we in a dream world, how would morality function? When Plato talks about the apparent world and the world of forms or ideas, he's really referencing the two worlds of 'waking' and 'dreaming' - in dreams, in idea is converted into a vision by what he called recollection.

In any case, the topic is extremely complicated and is hotly debated today, so I'll leave it at that, but I just wanted to show the facility of a train of thought when one synthesizes the different words into one thing with the same meaning; it's merely 'maintenance work' but that's necessary and what really keeps the whole hotel - or business of scientific enquiry - running.

So hopefully we can start using the word meta- as dream-.