Description
Robert Pasnau traces the developments of metaphysical thinking through four rich but for the most part neglected centuries of philosophy, running from the thirteenth century through to the seventeenth. At no period in the history of philosophy, other than perhaps our own, have metaphysical problems received the sort of sustained attention they received during the later Middle Ages, and never has a whole philosophical tradition come crashing down as quickly and completely as did scholastic philosophy in the seventeenth century. The thirty chapters work through various fundamental metaphysical issues, sometimes focusing more on scholastic thought, sometimes on the seventeenth century. Pasnau begins with the first challenges to the classical scholasticism of Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas, runs through prominent figures like John Duns Scotus and William Ockham, and ends in the seventeenth century, with the end of the first stage of developments in post-scholastic philosophy: on the continent, with Descartes and Gassendi, and in England, with Boyle and Locke. Review: Readers with a keen interest in metaphysics and a doughty historical stamina will find Pasnau's book rewarding. Anthony Kenny, Times Literary Supplement truly a magnificent achievement ... spanning four centuries of philosophical argumentation on notions of matter, substance, accidents, extension, quantity, unity and identity. It contains historical scholarship and philosophical argumentation in a very well balanced mix in order to present the reader with a true sense of the historical position held as well as a subtle philosophical assessment of the correctness of these views. It is history of philosophy at its very best... Pasnau's work is invaluable to anyone dealing with the history of this time period as well as anyone interested in the metaphysics of substance. Henrik Lagerlund, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews an absolute must for all those interested either in medieval or in early modern philosophy, as well as a highly instructive and inspiring reading for contemporary students of metaphysics. Claude Panaccio, Mind
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