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Contemporary Debates in Metaphysics
Theodore Sider (Edited by), John Hawthorne (Edited by), Dean W. Zimmerman (Edited by)
9781405112291, Wiley
Paperback / softback, published 12 December 2007
416 pages
24.1 x 17 x 2.3 cm, 0.794 kg
“Contemporary Debates in Metaphysics is a terrific book — 18 essays by some of the most distinguished voices in contemporary philosophy which collectively represent and define the state of the art in this ancient discipline. The writing is fresh and clear throughout, accessible to beginners but rigorous enough to satisfy the most exacting specialists. This is no bland survey of the subject: the book is structured as a series of debates, with partisans of opposed positions clashing directly on the page. For those who want to see how contemporary metaphysics is done, there is no better introduction to the subject.” “This is an incredibly good collection of original papers about the central problems of metaphysics. I will certainly use the book as a text in my yearly introductory graduate seminar on metaphysics." “Until now we've had to choose between traditional texts, where the author pretends to be arguing with him/herself, and anthologies, where the reader pretends the authors are arguing with each other. This book has genuine focussed exchange between some of the best metaphysicians around. The introduction by Sider is a gem. What a great way to learn metaphysics.” “What might one want in a contemporary metaphysics reader? There are plenty of volumes that reprint the 20th century precursors to current debates; no need for another one of those. What would be great is a collection of first-rate essays by leading philosophers which effectively engage the most important issues in the field and give attention not only to the substantive debates but the meta-philosophical questions such as: what is metaphysics and how is it possible? And now we have it: Contemporary Debates in Metaphysics does it all.” “Written with philosophical sophistication … .Rewarding and valuable … .Teaching papers … .It would make a fine … and useful resource for the professional philosopher.” Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
Gideon A. Rosen, Princeton University
Peter Van Inwagen, University of Notre Dame
Prof. Stephen Yablo, MIT
Sally Haslanger, MIT
In a series of thought-provoking and original essays, eighteen leading philosophers engage in head-to-head debates of nine of the most cutting edge topics in contemporary metaphysics.
Notes on Contributors vii Introduction Theodore Sider 1 Abstract Entities 9 1.1 Abstract Entities Chris Swoyer 11 1.2 There Are No Abstract Objects Cian Dorr 32 Causation and Laws of Nature 65 2.1 Nailed to Hume’s Cross? John W. Carroll 67 2.2 Causation and Laws of Nature: Reductionism Jonathan Schaffer 82 Modality and Possible Worlds 109 3.1 Concrete Possible Worlds Phillip Bricker 111 3.2 Ersatz Possible Worlds Joseph Melia 135 Personal Identity 153 4.1 People and Their Bodies Judith Jarvis Thomson 155 4.2 Persons, Bodies, and Human Beings Derek Parfit 177 Time 209 5.1 The Privileged Present: Defending an “A-Theory” of Time 5.2 The Tenseless Theory of Time J. J. C. Smart 226 Persistence 239 6.1 Temporal Parts Theodore Sider 241 6.2 Three-Dimensionalism vs. Four-Dimensionalism John Hawthorne 263 Free Will 283 7.1 Incompatibilism Robert Kane 285 7.2 Compatibilism, Incompatibilism, and Impossibilism Kadri Vihvelin 303 Mereology 319 8.1 The Moon and Sixpence: A Defense of Mereological Universalism 8.2 Restricted Composition Ned Markosian 341 Metaontology 365 9.1 Ontological Arguments: Interpretive Charity and Quantifier Variance 9.2 The Picture of Reality as an Amorphous Lump Matti Eklund 382 Index 397
Dean Zimmerman 211
James Van Cleve 321
Eli Hirsch 367
Subject Areas: Philosophy [HP]
