An Introduction to Metaphysics (Cambridge Introductions to Philosophy)

If I was wanting to quickly and efficiently construct a precis of the logical geography, of positions, proponents and gists of arguments on many standard metaphysical topics, or if I was wanting final revision material the night before an exam, then this is without doubt the book I would want to have handy. If, however, I wanted my hand held while being taken to the ledge from which to survey the abstruse domains wherein professional philosophers operated then I would choose Michael Loux's Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction . However, I would add that Loux makes far more sense on a second reading having also read this book. To make it perfectly clear that any philosophy text, even introductions, must invariably be written from a personal perspective I would also recommend van Inwagen's Metaphysics and Lowe's A Survey of Metaphysics as presenting clear alternative accounts. Taking in introductions from multiple perspectives helps to loosen up one's thinking and helps one to start to think critically for oneself about the topics addressed. At this stage one is then ready to really get one's hands dirty with collections of essays and papers such as Contemporary Debates in Metaphysics .

Carroll's effort to produce a book that outlines the major themes without losing any relevance succeeds on both fronts. It is well written and neither condescending nor over simplified. Most importantly it is upto date and despite the word "introduction" it is far from being a primer. The section on causality is especially good.

For laymen like myself who want to know more about philosophy and particularly metaphysics, this is a must read. Nicely-structured and with clear language, you will not be disappointed.

This book does touch on most of the key topics that arise in your first step into metaphysics. But, as it's an introductory text, it lacks a lot of detail in certain areas that make it fairly useless in some respects. There also seems to be a severe lack of impartiality in places, which is something that one should really desire in a textbook, let alone a Philosophy one. The book does simply lay out some key areas and does have some good points, hence the 3 out of 5 rating. Perhaps more suited to a Lower Sixth Form level of study rather than University or higher.

I came to this book with great expectations after using an earlier book in this series. It is well produced, attractive type, nice paper and the chapter headings suggest a traditional overview of metaphysics as needed by the novice: it is, it claims, an "accessible introduction". The blurb on the back claims that it is "well written". I was disappointed. The book starts by telling us that metaphysics isn't the study of the occult etc (does anyone buying it really need to be told that?) yet by page 13 the authors are demonstrating the notation of predicate logic. Many new to the subject might well give up at that point. The writing has a causal humourless folksiness that I found both irritating and condescending: things "seem a little worrisome", "sure seems possible", "we will work diligently..", "we will not resist using", "we will not make a big deal", "it's unlovely in a certain way', considerations "stir up a whole lot of trouble", "is a little easier to take"., "they are not oomphy enough", "creates a little bit of a puzzle", issues are a "thorn in the side", and so on. People "holler", problems "ignite". The reader is told that s/he didn't anticipate something, must "hold on". There is lot of verbal packing and being told, for example, that something is getting interesting. Sentences start indirectly with phrases that add nothing: "it goes without saying that...", "what happens in the case of interest here is that..", "what's simplistic is that...", "the standard story here is...". We're told that an example "appears to throw this common assumption for loop" - whatever that means. You may like this style and find this sort of writing suits you, but I suspect that many readers will share my irritations, as well as the American examples like the dime in my pants (if you want to sell this elsewhere than the USA then choose examples that others might recognise). This isn't well written in my view: it's the sort of writing that gives philosophy a bad name and it isn't necessary. (I turned to Richard Taylor's 'Metaphysics' with relief). I thought I was being tough when I wrote this review, so set it aside for a year and returned to the book. But my opinion is unchanged. This could have been a welcome addition to an excellent series of books but it's spoiled by lack of plain English. No-one thought that metaphysics would be easy, but it isn't as hard as this.

Very clear introduction to metaphysics. It doesn't go into many details but provides a good big picture of the topic. Handy if you are an undergraduate student and want to have a clear idea of the basic concepts in this field.

For those of you who are intimidated by the philosophical branch of Metaphysics, this is probably the best introductory book on Metaphysics for undergraduate philosophy students. I personally tried to buy and borrow some books on metaphysics, and unfortunately these books were either for graduate or advanced undergraduate students who are already familiar with the philosophical terminologies that most of us are not familiar with. I decided to download this book on Kindle to read it, and I do not regret it for one bit. It is written in a very clear and comprehensive manner in such a way that college student could understand it. It does involve some effort on the part of the reader to try to understand the book, but overall it is reader-friendly for beginners or amateurs. I also believe that the author of the book was able to present the problems in metaphysics in a interesting matter that would help beginners to appreciate the branch of Metaphysics. The use of analogies and concrete examples did help me understand the problem better. Overall, I would really recommend this book to anyone who is curious enough to understand what Metaphysics is.

É um ótimo livro para quem já tem conhecimentos de filosofia. Há bastantes referências, e a leitura é bem didática, na qual demonstra vários pontos de vistas sem privilegiar um em detrimento dos outros.

correcto

I have several hesitations about this overview of metaphysics. First, the good part. It covers most of the topics that are part of contemporary metaphysics (at least in American universities), such as causation, time, ontological ideas, etc. And it is generally written in a fairly accessible manner, though that has to be taken in the context of the generally poor writing standards of most philosophers. The book, however, is (1) centered on contemporary metaphysics, with no interest at all in the rich history of this crucial topic, and (2) almost exclusively situated in late 20th century Anglo-American thought (mostly American). Thus, in the "Introduction" to a book that itself is supposed to "introduce" metaphysics, the unwary reader is immediately presented with Lewis, Kripke, and Quine. I am unable to understand why a beginning student would meet David Lewis within the first five minutes of reading. A skillful writer would introduce the ideas that are important to grasping what metaphysics is before presenting his poor reader with Lewis' "possible worlds" thoughts, and the reader would certainly not meet Quine right off the bat. These problems persist throughout the book, which often seems to be a private conversation between the two authors that the reader is just listening to without full explanation. There is little or no reference to the rich history of metaphysics, and one might reflect for a moment that people have actually thought about these topics in very important ways prior to 1950. I believe that Leibnitz may have had something to say about possible worlds, at least insofar as one wants to even introduce the idea, and a couple of folks prior to 1980 were concerned with causation. Rumor has it that the Greeks were concerned with the topic. As for anything related to European metaphysical thought after 1800, apparently nothing important happened at all. I know the book is not designed to be a history of metaphysics, but there is more to the topic than the obsessions of contemporary Anglo-American philosophers. Indeed, the book reflects the general lack of interest in the history of philosophy that is so apparent in recent American philosophy.

I found this book very appopriate for start to read metaphysics. It cover the most fundamental parts of Metaphysics and it do it at an undertandable level, suitable for beginners. I do not want to mean that this Is an eassy readable book all the way, but it is well written and all the topics are clearly exposed,