A Companion to Metaphysics (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy) [Paperback]

Jaegwon Kim (Editor), Ernest Sosa (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0631199993 | ISBN-13: 978-0631199991

A Companion to Metaphysics provides a survey of the whole of metaphysics and includes articles by many of the most distinguished scholars in the field.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Companion has a number of virtues that make it a useful resource for both students and professional philosophers. I must single out those {entries} on the continental philosophers and concepts as especially clearly written, non-jargony introductions. Many of the entries provided charming little arguments, or twists, on behalf of the author's already known positions. Indeed, this feature of the 'Companion' makes it of value even to the most advanced philosopher, already quite familiar with the topic." Alan Sidelle, The Philosophical Review

Review

Almost since it first came into print, I have used the first edition of Metaphysics: An Anthology in upper level undergraduate metaphysics courses. I also use it whenever I teach a graduate survey of metaphysics. The second edition is not just new, but new and improved. And I intend to use it in future metaphysics courses.

 

-Trenton Merricks, University of Virginia

 

 

A thorough compilation of essential readings. Anyone seriously interested in contemporary analytic metaphysics needs to know these pieces. The nicely updated second edition adds papers foundational to the next generation of metaphysical research.

 

-Mark Heller, Syracuse University

 

 

The second edition of Metaphysics: An Anthology is a splendid update of the already-excellent first edition. Thirty new articles by well-known younger philosophers join recent classics to bring this comprehensive collection right up to the moment.

 

-Lynne Rudder Baker, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

 

 

An outstanding collection of classic to contemporary essays on some of the most interesting topics in metaphysics. It would provide a great basis for an upper-level undergraduate or graduate course in metaphysics.

 

-Amie Thommasson, University of Miami

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell (January 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631199993
• ISBN-13: 978-0631199991
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #965,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting reading on interesting topics., January 27, 2006

By 

Barry Rucker (Murrieta, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Companion to Metaphysics (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy) (Paperback)

This book is an encyclopedia in one volume, organized alphabetically by topic. It consists of hundreds of articles written by a large number of philosophers. Some of the philosophers write lucidly, eschewing pompous verbiage. Unfortunately, others write in dense jargon with arcane symbolism. I didn't learn much from this volume, because, for the most part, I only understood the articles about subjects upon which I was already informed, whereas I could not understand the articles on unfamiliar topics. I recommend anyone studying this book to have one or more dictionaries of philosophy handy, because much of the trickier vocabulary is not defined in this book or in a standard dictionary. Often, the philosophical arguments and refutations are abridged to the point of incoherence, unless one previously knows the arguments. I did find this volume useful as a review to refresh my memory of philosophical issues.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and indispensible., May 10, 2000

By 

John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Companion to Metaphysics (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy) (Paperback)

With 264 entries from A to Z written by some of the world's leading philosophers, this encyclopedic Companion from Blackwell is an indispensible aid to students of philosophy in or out of the classroom. If you plan to do any reading in metaphysics, an investment in this volume will be handsomely repaid.

It's hard to comment on specifics since the entries themselves are so widely varied, so let me just recommend a companion volume: Michael Loux's _Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction_. (And _The Oxford Companion to Philosophy_, edited by Ted Honderich, is another keeper.)

The Blackwell "Companion" series is very good in general. See also _A Companion to Epistemology_, which is highly recommended too.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Companion to Metaphysics, February 11, 2009

By 

Kiel N. Moreland - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Companion to Metaphysics (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy) (Paperback)

I believe that this book is extremely valuable to both the beginning and the professional philosopher. The references are all clear and concise and break down the various metaphysical concepts in way that captures the complexity of the concept while at the time making them easy to understand. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to metaphysics.