Contemporary Metaphysics: An Introduction (Contemporary Philosophy) [Paperback]

Michael Jubien (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 1997 | ISBN-10: 155786859X | ISBN-13: 978-1557868596 | Edition: 1

Each volume in this series provides a clear, comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the main philosophical topics of contemporary debate.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The text includes short exercises printed in bold every few pages. These are excellent devices for testing a student's grasp of the material, and for sparking fresh thoughts about it." Chris Daly, Mind

From the Back Cover

This intelligible yet challenging survey aims to introduce the student to central metaphysical issues while at the same time pursuing a coherent metaphysical view. The range of topics discussed is refreshingly different from the average metaphysics introduction thereby making it ideal for upper division undergraduates and beginning graduate students.

The author sets the scene by taking the student through general theoretical matters, including discussions on the nature of metaphysics and the nature of concepts, and offering a general conception of the nature of philosophy. He then proceeds to address a diversity of metaphysical issues, ranging from colour to modality to the nature of physical objects through to the question of truth in fiction. Exercises designed to stimulate further thinking and to indicate further dimensions of the topics are posed throughout the book to encourage a more advanced study of the discipline.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (December 12, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155786859X
• ISBN-13: 978-1557868596
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #892,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lucid introduction to metaphysics, March 26, 1998

By 

DEAN STRETTON (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Contemporary Metaphysics: An Introduction (Contemporary Philosophy) (Paperback)

Suppose you build a wooden rowboat, and use it regularly. As the boat deteriorates over the years, you start replacing the worn pieces, one by one, with new pieces. Eventually every piece is replaced, such that none of the original pieces are left. Question: is this "the same boat" as you originally had?

Questions of identity and change over time are major topics in the field of metaphysics. These issues and more are dealt with in "Contemporary Metaphysics", Michael Jubien's superb introductory text.

The book's outstanding feature is the author's careful exposition of the subject matter. Although the material is at times conceptually difficult, Jubien's writing has a precision that allows him to set forth complex notions while maintaining clarity. The "Ship of Theseus" problem, with which I began this review, is a case in point: paradoxical on the face of it, the puzzle unravels under Jubien's skilful analysis. Even in the more difficult later chapters, the reader is seldom left "lagging behind", which really helps one come to grips with the subject matter. Further, the exercises placed throughout the text are an excellent way to gauge whether one has properly understood the issues -- and hence whether one should re-read the preceding section.

The book is not, however, without its faults. I for one would have liked Jubien to engage in a little more "name-dropping". Much of the book's discussion consists in arguments and counter-arguments, all presented anonymously. Now I assume that *somebody* devised the arguments Jubien recounts; and yet, he seldom mentions who originally formulated them. Of course, knowledge of the history of a doctrine is not necessary to understanding of that doctrine; but the historical element is not without interest, and I can only feel that Jubien's decision to omit this element was unfortunate. The book would have been more satisfying if it told the reader "who's on whose side". A "further reading" list would also be useful for those readers who wish to learn more about the subject matter than an introductory text can reasonably accommodate.

Notwithstanding these criticisms, "Contemporary Metaphysics" makes interesting and enlightening reading. It would make ideal preliminary or further reading for students undertaking a tertiary-level metaphysics course. Indeed, as a means to understanding the basic issues and debates of metaphysics, Jubien's book looks pretty hard to beat.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Metaphysics for the Advanced or Beginning Reader, March 23, 2002

By 

J. Grupp (Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Contemporary Metaphysics: An Introduction (Contemporary Philosophy) (Paperback)

Jubien's book clearly presents the nominalist, conceptualist, and platonist schools in near perfect description for both beginning and advanced student. Issues of metaphysics, being separate from empiricist issues, and being issues that are derived from clear logic and thought, are often most productively studied when one puts the books away for an hour or so, and just thinks about the entities that are studied in metaphysics. This is what Jubien's book causes one to do. Covering the gamut from possible worlds, numbers, identity, God, cosmology, causation, and so on, each subject Jubien brings up is discussed with astonishing clarity, and is free of poor or confusing wording. This is very unusual for a book on metaphysics, and it causes one to focus not on what the book says, what the words say or mean, but rather what the theories are all about. Unlike many other books on metaphysics, this gives Jubien's book extraodinary power.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not an Introduction, November 30, 2004

By 

Reader (Arlington, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Contemporary Metaphysics: An Introduction (Contemporary Philosophy) (Paperback)

This book does a nice job of discussing basic metaphysical issues such as identity, numbers, language, and color. The author, Professor Michael Jubien, is a neo-Platonist, for lack of a better term. He writes clearly, lays out arguments carefully, and takes a stand on the issues -- he even notes when his arguments are speculative or in need of further exposition. That said, I gave the book only four stars. For one thing, it isn't an "introduction" to metaphysics. Any reader who hasn't taken basic courses in philosophy or logic will find much of the discussion incomprehensible. For another, Jubien makes almost no effort to situate his analysis within the history of philosophy, or to link it to larger issues of science, ethics, or culture. He seems to be a "philosopher's philosopher," the kind who solves puzzles for the sake of puzzle-solving, without fussing over "the meaning" of it all. This isn't necessarily a bad thing in a philosopher -- but readers should know what they're getting into.