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Metaphysics: The Fundamentals (Fundamentals of Philosophy, 4) 1st Edition

by Robert C. Koons (Author), Timothy H. Pickavance (Author)
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Metaphysics: The Fundamentals presents readers with a systematic, comprehensive introductory overview of modern analytic metaphysics.

  • Presents an accessible, up-to-date and broad-ranging survey of one of the most dynamic and often daunting sub-fields in contemporary philosophy
  • Introduces readers to the seminal works of contemporary and historic philosophers, including Descartes, Leibniz, Russell, David Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, Kit Fine, Peter van Inwagen, John Hawthorne and many others
  • Explores key questions while identifying important assumptions, axioms, and methodological principles
  • Addresses topics in ontology, modality, causality, and universals; as well as issues surrounding material composition, persistence, space, and time
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  1. ISBN-10
    9781405195737
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1405195737
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Blackwell Pub
  5. Publication date
    January 20, 2015
  6. Part of series
    Fundamentals of Philosophy
  7. Language
    English
  8. Dimensions
    6 x 0.75 x 9 inches
  9. Print length
    267 pages
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Robert C. Koons and Timothy H. Pickavance have mastered the art of succinct and non-technical digression. They are to be commended for their clear summaries. And, most important, they write in a way that invites readers to make up their own minds without attempting to conceal their own conclusions. As a result they have written a refreshingly different introduction to metaphysics, which I highly recommend."
―Peter Forrest, University of New England

"A superb overview of the central issues in contemporary metaphysics, written with clarity and rigor, exploring both particular issues and deep structural divides."
―Alexander R. Pruss, Baylor University

From the Inside Flap

While notoriously difficult to define, metaphysics need not be a daunting subject of study. Metaphysics: The Fundamentals provides readers with an accessible and comprehensive introduction to modern analytic metaphysics. The book covers a broad range of key topics, including theories of properties and particulars, the notion of truth-makers, powers and possibilities, material composition, and a variety of issues related to time and causation. Thematically and systematically organized, each chapter features carefully worked-through questions about these topics, and all the important assumptions, axioms, and methodological principles are clearly identified. Readers with minimal technical knowledge of the field are introduced to the seminal philosophical works of such leading contemporary figures as David Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, Kit Fine, Peter van Inwagen, John Hawthorne along with the contributions of noted historical figures like Descartes, Leibniz, and Russell. Modern perspectives of Neo-Humeans, Platonists, and neo-Aristotelians are also covered—with the best arguments and objections of these schools of thought clearly stated. Specifically written for students encountering the subject for the first time, Metaphysics: The Fundamentals takes the mystery out of one of the most dynamic sub-fields in contemporary philosophy.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1405195738
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Blackwell Pub; 1st edition (January 20, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 267 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781405195737
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1405195737
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.75 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

About the authors

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  1. Robert C. Koons

    Robert C. Koons

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    Robert C. Koons is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin (since 1987). He specializes in metaphysics, philosophical theology, philosophy of science, and political philosophy. He is an analytic Thomist and is working on a neo-Aristotelian account of modern science, including quantum theory. He has also been centrally involved in the revival of the cosmological/First-Cause argument for God's existence.

    Personal web site (including Analytic Thomist blog): www.robkoons.net

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  2. Timothy H. Pickavance

    Timothy H. Pickavance

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
31 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

James Heaney
5.0 out of 5 stars A resounding success
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2016
Verified Purchase
The authors attempt to give an overview of not one impossibly difficult subject, but *dozens* of impossibly difficult subjects that are all closely interlinked with one another -- while explaining both sides of the contemporary debate for every issue and citing sources appropriately, using widely accepted terminology, without compromising clarity for beginners like me. While there are moments when they seem to go off on a bit of a tangent, or get a little bit too wrapped up in their terms (which is something I'm told analytic philosophers are prone to do), the book is, for the most part, a resounding success, and was an excellent companion to me in my undergraduate Intro to Metaphysics class. I couldn't write this, and neither could you; thank goodness Koons and Pickavance did.

Unfortunately, the book persuaded me that books don't exist, so take my review of this non-book with a grain of salt. :)
16 people found this helpful
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Eyob
5.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable resource for doing metaphysics
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2018
1st rate resource. Great for a graduate level metaphysics course, or for the undergraduate that really wants to get ahead. Koons and Pickavance have continued this work with a longer and more thorough treatment,  The Atlas of Reality: A Comprehensive Guide to Metaphysics , which is just that: comprehensive. Between these two books, you'll find everything you need to keep up with metaphysics on the contemporary scene.
6 people found this helpful
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Henry Bowers
4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2016
Having read some on the subjects of time and possible worlds, I was surprised by the lucidity of insights provided in this introduction. The authors give a helpful foray into trope theory, and demarcate the parties debating causation and laws of nature. They masterfully manage a complex discussion on composition, keeping the reader oriented and encouraged. My only complaint is that they make some of their points — important, load-bearing points — extremely fast, in a sentence or two. In other places also I wish the book were longer, especially on the relationships between universals and laws of nature. But if you want to canvass the fundamentals, this book is time well-spent.
6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Federico
3.0 out of 5 stars Major omissions, but good overall
Reviewed in Italy on November 23, 2020
Verified Purchase
This manual is very useful for beginners in metaphysics, and is especially clear. Still, it has some major omissions and takes its premisses very seriously. One could expect the impossibility of a complete overview in an introductory book, but the problem to me is that some major themes or authors are not even mentioned, giving a quite one-sided view on the current state of metaphysics, especially on the matter of truthmakers, modality and meta-ontology. It often uses taxonomies which are not mainstream, making it more difficult to understand theorical separations as usually described in most studies and introductory papers. That said, my concerns are minor and for the presentation. It's certainly a good-enough starting point, and it's clear that the author is an expert in the field.
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