Hetherington, What is Epistemology?
Tom McClelland, What is Philosophy of Mind?
Dean Rickles, What is Philosophy of Science?
James P. Sterba, What is Ethics?
Charles Taliaferro, What is Philosophy of Religion?
What is Metaphysics?
John Heil
polity
Copyright © John Heil 2021
The right of John Heil to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in 2021 by Polity Press
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ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4650-3
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Heil, John, author.
Title: What is metaphysics? / John Heil.
Description: Cambridge ; Medford, MA : Polity, 2021. | Series: What is philosophy? | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “Metaphysics can be understood as the branch of philosophy that examines the fundamental nature of reality. In this textbook for students new to the topic, John Heil covers the key concepts in an original, jargon-free way” -- Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021000205 (print) | LCCN 2021000206 (ebook) | ISBN 9781509546480 (hardback) | ISBN 9781509546497 (paperback) | ISBN 9781509546503 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Metaphysics.
Classification: LCC BD131 .H45 2021 (print) | LCC BD131 (ebook) | DDC 110--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021000205 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021000206
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Dedication
In memory of David Armstrong, Charlie Martin, and Jack Smart
Preface
Metaphysics is, by my lights, a difficult, but indispensable, subject. Each of us harbors unexamined metaphysical preconceptions that might, or might not, survive serious scrutiny. This book aims to tease out those preconceptions in a manner that challenges you the reader to confront them. Many of your preconceptions are widely shared, and many, no doubt, are warranted even though you might not be in a position to vouch for them were you called upon to do so.
Socrates observed that an unexamined life was not worth living. He did not mean that a life worth living requires having all the answers. He meant that we should recognize what we know and what we only think we know: we should understand our limitations and what these might portend. This is the spirit in which I offer this book. The goal is not to parade a string of metaphysical doctrines past you and declaim their pros and cons. The goal, rather, is to encourage you to reflect on matters that, for most of us, most of the time, remain beneath reflection.
This is not a frivolous undertaking. Preconceptions spawn attitudes that color thoughts and actions, sometimes in surprising ways. Distinctively metaphysical attitudes are intertwined with attitudes we evince as we go about our business – in everyday life, in the arts, and in the sciences. The trick is to recognize them for what they are and thereby be in a position to take into account their influence – for good or ill – on the attitudes that govern our serious thoughts about the cosmos and our place in it.
This book approaches metaphysics, not as an academic subject to be mastered then forgotten, but as a hands-on exercise, the lasting value of which lies in the doing. For this reason, I have not tried to hide my own views, an impossibility in any event. That might be worrisome were it not the case that the views are the vehicles, not the destinations. If I succeed in persuading you that metaphysics, far from being a purely academic pastime, is unavoidable, I will be content. If I leave you better equipped to recognize hidden metaphysical themes for what they are, I will be delighted.
Although the book presupposes no prior acquaintance with metaphysics, I have tried to steer the conversation in ways that might engage even hardened academic philosophers. If you are among their ranks, you are hereby forewarned not to expect exhaustive treatments of individual metaphysical doctrines. There is a time and a place for everything, and this is neither the time, nor the place, for exhaustive treatments of anything.
John Heil
Melbourne
July 2020
Acknowledgments
What is Metaphysics? took shape in Melbourne during my tenure as a Fulbright Fellow in the first half of 2020. I am much indebted to the Australian–American Fulbright Commission and to Monash University, my host institution, for their support. The Fellowship, which was meant to run from mid-February through June, was cut short by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, but I remained in Australia with my wife, Harrison, and continued working from our adopted home in Caulfield South thanks to the graciousness of Marie-Thérèse Jensen. My stay at Monash would not have been possible without the support of Christina Twomey, Head of the School of Philosophical, Historical, and International Studies; Jakob Hohwy, Head, Department of Philosophy; and Jessica Weijers, School Manager, who deserves a gold parking pass.
I would not be the philosopher
