If one compares the definitions of metaphysics with the perceptions of the absolute, one can discern that philosophers agree with each other, despite their obvious differences, in that they distinguish between two profoundly different ways of knowing a thing.

The first way leads to a rotation around the defined thing, while the second introduces one into the thing itself. The first depends on the point from which we position ourselves and on the symbols with which we express ourselves. The second has no 'place' and does not rely on any symbol.

We would say that the first knowledge stops at the relative, while the second touches upon the absolute, provided that it is achievable...

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]