Product Description

This volume provides a vital student resource: a collection of the essential classic and contemporary readings in metaphysics.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1422145 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 512 pages

Review
"An outstanding and outstandingly complete set of papers in metaphysics, selected by two of the foremost metaphysicians." Alvin Plantinga, University of Notre Dame

From the Back Cover
This student anthology presents both classic and contemporary readings in metaphysics and collects a wide range of answers to key metaphysical questions.

Metaphysics originates in attempts to answer some of the most puzzling questions about the world and our place in it. How are the appearances of things related to the things that appear? What is the nature of space and time? How do things persist through changes of parts and properties? How do causes bring about their effects? What is the relation between mind and body? Is it possible for us to act freely? Is there just one world? Why is there a world at all? Could there be an answer to this question? If so, must the answer appeal to the action of a necessary being? The anthology consists of a wide range of answers to these questions.

About the Author
Peter van Inwagen is John Cardinal O'Hara Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of God, Knowledge, and Mystery: Essays in Philosophical Theology (1995), Metaphysics (1993), Material Beings (1990), and An Essay on Free Will (1983).

Dean Zimmerman is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University. He has published articles on metaphysics in The American Philosophical Quarterly, Analysis, The Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Mind, The Monist, Nous, The Philosophical Review, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, and other journals and collections.

Customer Reviews

More Modern than Historical
This book was a little disappointing, but still pretty good for modern metaphysics. If you are wanting a modern compilation of essays on metaphysics then this text is 5 stars. If you are wanting an historical text, then you will be sorely disappointed (this is one of the reasons I gave this text 4 stars).

Van Inwagen and Zimmerman have edited an edition which contains articles/essays from modern philosophers (with the one exception of Anselm and possibly David Hume) on certain metaphysical issues regarding time and space, the relationship between an individual and its characteristics, the relation between the mind/body, human volition (acting freely), causes and their effects, necessary being, etc. Authors of the various articles include Hillary Putnam, Richard Swinburne, William James, Charlotte Witt, William Rowe, A.N. Prior, Peter Geach, Roderick Chisholm, W.V.O. Quine, J. McTaggart, J.J.C. Smart, and many others. Just by this list one can see that this text has a strong bent toward analytic philosophy (which makes you wonder why the text is 'metaphysics').

However, some of the articles are quite interesting and are written by some very well known modern and contemporary philosophers. This text, while lacking any historical dealings/writings with/on the issues of metaphysics at least gives the reader a pretty good idea of what has been herald over the last hundred or so years.

If you are wanting a more historical text, then move on, this one is not it. However, if you are wanting a contemporary/modern text on metaphysics, then this is the one for you!