What is Metaphysics?. John Heil
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John Heil is Professor of Philosophy at Washington University in St Louis, Professor of Philosophy at Durham University, and an Honorary Research Associate at Monash University. Professor Heil is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities and is listed among the 50 Most Influential Living Philosophers.
Polity’s What is Philosophy? series
John Heil, What is Metaphysics?
Stephen Hetherington, What is Epistemology?
Tom McClelland, What is Philosophy of Mind?
Dean Rickles, What is Philosophy of Science?
James P. Sterba, What is Ethics?
Charles Taliaferro, What is Philosophy of Religion?
What is Metaphysics?
John Heil
polity
Copyright © John Heil 2021
The right of John Heil to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in 2021 by Polity Press
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ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4650-3
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Heil, John, author.
Title: What is metaphysics? / John Heil.
Description: Cambridge ; Medford, MA : Polity, 2021. | Series: What is philosophy? | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “Metaphysics can be understood as the branch of philosophy that examines the fundamental nature of reality. In this textbook for students new to the topic, John Heil covers the key concepts in an original, jargon-free way” -- Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021000205 (print) | LCCN 2021000206 (ebook) | ISBN 9781509546480 (hardback) | ISBN 9781509546497 (paperback) | ISBN 9781509546503 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Metaphysics.
Classification: LCC BD131 .H45 2021 (print) | LCC BD131 (ebook) | DDC 110--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021000205 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021000206
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Dedication
In memory of David Armstrong, Charlie Martin, and Jack Smart
Preface
Metaphysics is, by my lights, a difficult, but indispensable, subject. Each of us harbors unexamined metaphysical preconceptions that might, or might not, survive serious scrutiny. This book aims to tease out those preconceptions in a manner that challenges you