Real Essentialism (Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy) (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Presents vigorous and wide-ranging arguments in defense of an Aristotelian metaphysical scheme…this book puts forward many unfashionable views. But it argues for them with vigor and erudition.

--Crawford L. Elder, Analysis Reviews

Oderberg… exemplifies the unfortunately rare combination in analytical philosophy of rigorous and historically informed argumentation…This book places hylomorphism squarely on the table for discussion. Sebastian Rehnman, Review of Metaphysics

Product Description

Real Essentialism presents a comprehensive defence of neo-Aristotelian essentialism. Do objects have essences? Must they be the kinds of things they are in spite of the changes they undergo? Can we know what things are really like - can we define and classify reality? Many if not most philosophers doubt this, influenced by centuries of empiricism, and by the anti-essentialism of Wittgenstein, Quine, Popper, and other thinkers. Real Essentialism reinvigorates the tradition of realist, essentialist metaphysics, defending the reality and knowability of essence, the possibility of objective, immutable definition, and its relevance to contemporary scientific and metaphysical issues such as whether essence transcends physics and chemistry, the essence of life, the nature of biological species, and the nature of the person.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 314 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (January 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415323649
• ISBN-13: 978-0415323642
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,832,572 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb contemporary defense of Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysics, March 29, 2009

By	Deya S. - See all my reviews

This book should be required reading for professional philosophers and serious students of philosophy.

Professor Oderberg's book presents a serious, erudite, rigorously argued, very well-documented and detailed contemporary defense and explanation of the Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysics.

If you think (like I did, some time ago) that the metaphysical ideas of Aristotle and Aquinas are a silly and naive product of the scientific ignorance of the times of their writings, then you'll discover (after close reading Oderberg's book) how much ill-informed you are. When I read this book, I already knew that most criticisms of the Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysics were based on misunderstandings of the critics. But after I read it, I confirmed that the case for an Aristotlian-Thomistic metaphysics is very hard to refute indeed; and certainly, the common and well-known criticisms against it don't affect it at all, as you can judge by yourself.

Dr.Oderberg's command of the relevant metaphysical literature on contemporary analytic philosophy and his knowledge of Aristotelian Thomistic philosophy, makes this book a philosophical masterpiece.

I'd dare to say this book is one of the best books on philosophy that I've ever read, and probably the best book defending the Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysics in print.

If you're a serious truth-seeker, philosopher or student of philosophy, you have to read and STUDY Dr.Oderberg's excellent book.

You won't be dissapointed.