What is Metaphysics?. John Heil

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      John Heil is Professor of Philosophy at Washington University in St Louis, Professor of Philosophy at Durham University, and an Honorary Research Associate at Monash University. Professor Heil is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities and is listed among the 50 Most Influential Living Philosophers.

Polity’s What is Philosophy? series

      John Heil, What is Metaphysics?

      Stephen 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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      All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

      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

      The publisher has used its best endeavors to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate.

      Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition.

      For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com

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