From an Ontological Point of View [Hardcover]

John Heil (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0199259747 | ISBN-13: 978-0199259748 | Publication Date: June 19, 2003

From an Ontological Point of View is a highly original and accessible exploration of fundamental questions about what there is. John Heil discusses such issues as whether the world includes levels of reality; the nature of objects and properties; the demands of realism; what makes things true; qualities, powers, and the relation these bear to one another. He advances an account of the fundamental constituents of the world around us, and applies this account to problems that have plagued recent work in the philosophy of mind and metaphysics (color, intentionality, and the nature of consciousness).

Editorial Reviews

Review

`Heils book is masterful, wide-ranging, and instructive. It is also tightly argued, insightful, and provocative. The book is written in an admirably clear analytic style and i extremely well organized (each of the twenty concise chapters is subdivided into short numbered sections). . . I strongly recommend this book to anyone with a serious interest in ontology or the philosophy of mind.' Gary Rosenkrantz, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

About the Author

John Heil is a Paul B. Freeland Professor of Philosophy, Davidson College, North Carolina, and Professor of Philosophy, Monash University, Australia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 284 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (June 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199259747
• ISBN-13: 978-0199259748
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,987,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Serious Ontology, March 15, 2008

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William Melendez (NYC, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: From an Ontological Point of View (Hardcover)

John Heil has done what few philosophers are capable of, that is, writing a major treatise on metaphysics which engages the reader naturally. The reader needs to make no effort in order to be drawn into the subject matter with Heil's simple and elegant prose that gets across the problems in contemporary metaphysics and Heil's own views on the positive belief that we can accomplish progress in metaphysics with a new and refreshing take on the inhibiting views that can be overcome when we see them in the correct light of their inhibiting context. Once we free ourselves from these inhibitors we can be free to make new headway into metaphysics with the exercise in what Heil calls "serious ontology". I for one was overcome by Heil's insights that rightly framed for me the problems in present day metaphysics that can be solved with a fresh perspective that many philosophers are not willing to allow themselves to see through their narrow-minded perspectives that disallow them to frame the problems of metaphysics in a new and progressive way that throws light on the way out of the Socratic Cave.