Reading Metaphysics: Selected Texts with Interactive Commentary

This collection brings together key contemporary texts in metaphysics. Designed for students and general readers, it has a distinctive pedagogical aim: to enable readers to engage critically with challenging philosophical texts, and thereby use such texts as a springboard for their own philosophical thought and writing. Each text is followed by a detailed commentary, which puts the author’s views and arguments into context, explains key terms and argumentative moves, and – most importantly – asks a variety of questions. The questions are designed to prompt the reader to think critically about what the author is saying and why she is saying it, to think of objections, and to formulate and justify his or her own views on the topic. The book includes texts by Kripke, Lewis, Parfit, Armstrong, Nagel, and Dennett, amongst others, and discusses the following topics: free will, personal identity, realism and nominalism, modality, persistence, and realism and anti–realism.

Sources and Acknowledgements. Introduction. 1 Personal Identity . Introduction. Derek Parfit, ‘Personal Identity’. Commentary on Parfit. Marya Schechtman, ‘Personhood and Personal Identity’. Commentary on Schechtman. Further Reading. Essay Questions. 2 Free Will . Introduction. Peter van Inwagen, ‘The Incompatibility of Free Will and Determinism’. Commentary on van Inwagen. Daniel Dennett, ‘Could Have Done Otherwise’ (extract from Elbow Room). Commentary on Dennett. Further Reading. Essay Questions. Appendix. 3 Realism and Anti–realism . Introduction. Donald Davidson, ‘On the Very Idea of a Conceptual Scheme’. Commentary on Davidson. Thomas Nagel, ‘Thought and Reality’ (extract from The View from Nowhere). Commentary on Nagel. Further reading. Essay questions. 4 Realism and Nominalism . Introduction. Michael Devitt, ‘“Ostrich Nominalism” or “Mirage Realism”?’. Commentary on Devitt. D. M. Armstrong, ‘Against “Ostrich” Nominalism: A Reply to Michael Devitt’. Commentary on Armstrong. Further reading. Essay questions. 5 Possible Worlds . Introduction. David Lewis, extract from Counterfactuals. Commentary on Lewis. Saul Kripke, extract from Naming and Necessity. Commentary on Kripke. Further reading. Essay questions. 6 Persistence over Time . Introduction. David Lewis, extract from On the Plurality of Worlds. Commentary on Lewis. Sally Haslanger, ‘Endurance and Temporary Intrinsics’. Commentary on Haslanger. David Lewis, ‘Tensing the Copula’. Commentary on Lewis. Further reading. Essay questions. Bibliography. Index

Helen Beebee is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham. She is the author of Hume on Causation (2006) and co–editor, with Julian Dodd, of Truthmakers: The Contemporary Debate (2005). Julian Dodd is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Manchester. He is the author of Works of Music: An Essay in Ontology (2007) and An Identity Theory of Truth (2000), and co–editor of Truthmakers: The Contemporary Debate (2005).

“A book that speaks directly to students. By combining accessible text selections with insightful commentary, clear graphic devices for navigating within each chapter, and thoughtful questions, this new collection provides an invaluable teaching tool for major areas of contemporary metaphysics.” Dale Jacquette, The Pennsylvania State University “Reading Metaphysics is the perfect hybrid of an attentively edited anthology and a lucidly instructive textbook. Instead of overwhelming us with dozens of selections, the editors have expertly chosen a small number of contemporary readings, thus giving readers the time to probe deeply into the selected topics and, more importantly, the time to learn how to take apart and interact with a philosophical text. While the readings are well–selected, the true strength of this book lies in the editors’ commentary. Students will leave this book ready, and eager, to take on more metaphysics and teachers will notice a marked improvement in their students’ philosophical ability.” Andrew P. Mills, Otterbein College