Koons and Pickavance on a Comprehensive Guide to Metaphysics

May 20, 2017
Posted by Administrator

In 2017, Wiley-Blackwell published The Atlas of Reality: A Comprehensive Guide to Metaphysics by Robert C. Koons and Timothy Pickavance. Koons is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. Pickavance an Associate Professor and Chair of the Talbot Department of Philosophy at Biola University.

From the publisher’s description:

The Atlas of Reality: A Comprehensive Guide to Metaphysics presents an extensive examination of the key concepts, principles, and arguments of metaphysics, traditionally the very core of philosophical thought. Representing the first exhaustive survey of metaphysics available, the book draws from historic sources while presenting the latest cutting-edge research in the field. Seminal works of philosophers such as David Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, Kit Fine, Peter van Inwagen, John Hawthorne and many others are covered in depth, without neglecting the critical contributions of historical figures like René Descartes, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Bertrand Russell, and more.

  • It represents the most comprehensive guide to metaphysics available today 
  • It offers authoritative coverage of the full range of topics that comprise the field of metaphysics in an accessible manner while considering competing views 
  • It explores key concepts such as space, time, powers, universals, and composition with clarity and depth 
  • It articulates coherent packages of metaphysical theses that include neo-Aristotelian, Quinean, Armstrongian, and neo-Humean 
  • It carefully tracks the use of common assumptions and methodological principles in metaphysics