> Or as it is commonly referred to in computer science: function self-application
No, that's recursion, not metaphysics.
Is computer science the same as programming, no. Computer science is the study of programming, not programming. You learn this in your first year of CS.
If you're smart enough to _really_ understand what a Y combinator is, this should be a piece of cake.
metaphysics /ˌmɛtəˈfɪzɪks/ noun the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, identity, time, and space.
First principles? Like logical/mathematical axioms? Sprinkle abstraction. Identity? f(x) = x ?
Time? Space? Spacetime? Minkowsky space?
On a fuzzy-match that sounds ludicrously similar to the sort of stuff the formal sciences concern themselves with. Almost as if the distinction between science and philosophy is non-existence given the demarcation problem.