Contemporary Aristotelian Metaphysics

Aristotelian (or neo-Aristotelian) metaphysics is currently undergoing something of a renaissance. This volume brings together fourteen essays from leading philosophers who are sympathetic to this conception of metaphysics, which takes its cue from the idea that metaphysics is the first philosophy. The primary input from Aristotle is methodological, but many themes familiar from his metaphysics will be discussed, including ontological categories, the role and interpretation of the existential quantifier, essence, substance, natural kinds, powers, potential, and the development of life. The volume mounts a strong challenge to the type of ontological deflationism which has recently gained a strong foothold in analytic metaphysics. It will be a useful resource for scholars and advanced students who are interested in the foundations and development of philosophy.

1. Introduction Tuomas E. Tahko; 2. What is metaphysics? Kit Fine; 3. In defence of Aristotelian metaphysics Tuomas E. Tahko; 4. Existence and quantification reconsidered Tim Crane; 5. Identity, quantification, and number Eric T. Olson; 6. Ontological categories Gary Rosenkrantz; 7. Are any kinds ontologically fundamental? Alexander Bird; 8. Are four categories two too many? John Heil; 9. Categories: four and more Peter Simons; 10. Neo-Aristotelianism and substance Joshua Hoffman; 11. Developmental potential Louis M. Guenin; 12. The origin of life and the definition of life Storrs McCall; 13. Essence, necessity and explanation Kathrin Koslicki; 14. No potency without actuality: the case of graph theory David S. Oderberg; 15. A neo-Aristotelian substance ontology: neither relational nor constituent E. J. Lowe.

Tuomas E. Tahko is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, specializing in metaphysics and its methodology. He received his Ph.D. from Durham University in 2008 and has been a Visiting Scholar at New York University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.