Metaphysics An Introduction

Metaphysics: An Introduction combines comprehensive coverage of the core elements of metaphysics with contemporary and lively debates within the subject. It provides a rigorous and yet accessible overview of a rich array of topics, connecting the abstract nature of metaphysics with the real world. Topics covered include: Basic logic for metaphysics An introduction to ontology Abstract objects Material objects Critiques of metaphysics Free will Time Modality Persistence Causation Social ontology: the metaphysics of race This outstanding book not only equips the reader with a thorough knowledge of the fundamentals of metaphysics but provides a valuable guide to contemporary metaphysics and metaphysicians. Additional features such as exercises, annotated further reading, a glossary, and a companion website www.routledge.com/cw/ney will help students find their way around this subject and assist teachers in the classroom.

Preface Preparatory Background: Logic for Metaphysics 1. An Introduction to Ontology 2. Abstract Entities 3. Material Objects 4. Critiques of Metaphysics 5. Time 6. Persistence 7. Modality 8. Causation 9. Free Will 10. The Metaphysics of Race (with Allan Hazlett). Glossary Index

Alyssa Ney is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of California - Davis, USA. She is editor (with David Albert) of The Wave Function: Essays in the Metaphysics of Quantum Mechanics (2013).