Description
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.
- Explores the fundamental questions in contemporary metaphysics in a series of eighteen original essays - 16 of which are newly commissioned for this volume
- Features an introductory essay by the editors on the nature of metaphysics to prepare the reader for ongoing discussions
- Offers readers the unique opportunity to observe leading philosophers engage in head-to-head debate on cutting-edge metaphysical topics
- Provides valuable insights into the flourishing field of contemporary metaphysics
Table of Contents
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
Dean Zimmerman 211
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
James Van Cleve 321
8.2 Restricted Composition Ned Markosian 341
Metaontology 365
9.1 Ontological Arguments: Interpretive Charity and Quantifier Variance
Eli Hirsch 367
9.2 The Picture of Reality as an Amorphous Lump Matti Eklund 382
Index 397
