The Elements and Patterns of Being

Essays in Metaphysics

Donald C Williams author A R J Fisher editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:22nd Mar '18

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

The Elements and Patterns of Being cover

The Harvard philosopher Donald C. Williams (1899-1983) was a key figure in the history of analytic philosophy. He played a crucial role in reviving metaphysics at a time when other philosophers ridiculed, criticized, and committed it to the flames. He constructed an explanatorily powerful and parsimonious ontology and cosmology founded on logic, science, and common sense. His most influential articles were on the metaphysics of properties ('The Elements of Being') and the metaphysics of time ('The Sea Fight Tomorrow', 'The Myth of Passage'). His ontology of abstract particulars or tropes and his four-dimensional manifold theory of time remain leading hypotheses in metaphysics. Because of his novel contributions and his defense of metaphysics he made a lasting impact on philosophers of the next generation who in turn believed in the substance of metaphysical inquiry. A. R. J. Fisher brings together Williams's seminal articles in metaphysics along with previously unpublished essays that shed new light on his philosophical outlook and complete his metaphysical vision. This volume, with its comprehensive Introduction, is set to be the definitive source for Williams's work, both for historians of analytic philosophy and for contemporary metaphysicians.

This timely collection, judiciously selected and expertly edited by A. R. J. Fisher, gives us Donald C. Williams at his very best. It makes available his enduringly important contributions to three key issues—the proper business of philosophy, the problem of universals, and the nature of time—which are (or should be) the subject matter of lively current debates. Showing all Williams's eloquence and flair, these essays make it a pleasure to be instructed. We especially gain from Fisher's rescue of unpublished material fit to stand alongside the classic pieces, and his provision of a most useful scene-setting Introduction. * Keith Campbell, University of Sydney *

ISBN: 9780198810384

Dimensions: 242mm x 164mm x 21mm

Weight: 540g

254 pages