Metaphysics An Introduction

Metaphysics: An Introduction, Second Edition 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 natural and social kinds the metaphysics of race and gender grounding and fundamentality free will time modality persistence causation. 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. New for this second edition are updated sections on metaphysical indeterminacy; new sections on manipulation arguments and free will and neuroscience; and new chapters on the important topics of social ontology, fundamentality, and grounding. Additional features such as exercises, annotated further reading, a glossary, and a companion website https://routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/9780815350491 have also been updated and will help students find their way around this subject and assist teachers in the classroom.

Preface Notes on the Second Edition Preparatory Background: Logic for Metaphysics 1. An Introduction to Ontology 2. Abstract Entities 3. Material Objects 4. Critiques of Metaphysics 5. Natural and Social Kinds 6. The Metaphysics of Race and Gender 7. Grounding and Fundamentality 8. Time 9. Persistence 10. Modality 11. Causation 12. Free Will. Glossary of Terms Works Cited Index

Alyssa Ney is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of California – Davis, USA. She works primarily in metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of physics. She is the author of The World in the Wave Function: A Metaphysics for Quantum Physics (2021), and co-editor with David Z Albert of The Wave Function: Essays on the Metaphysics of Quantum Mechanics (2013).