The Elements of Metaphysics

by William R. Carter

Book Overview

Addresses many issues including the nature of mind, matter, ideas, and substance; the debate between those who believe human beings have free will and those who subscribe to determinism; fatalism,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0075574829
• ISBN13: 9780075574828
• Release Date: July 1989
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Langua
• Length: 195 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Great learning tool.

An Excellent book. Incredibly informative. I recommend this book to Everyone looking for a basic understanding of Metaphysics and Philosophy!

It is an excellent over all view of philosophy in 1 book.

I read this when I was a student and it laid the foundation for me to go on and study philosophy with the possible certainty that I understood what I was reading. I use the reasoning in this book to evaluate most everything I read, teach, write, or do.

A good introduction to a central area of philosophy

This book was the first introduction I had to the area of metaphysics. The first chapter does a good job of explaining just what metaphysics is about. It is unfortunate that most people associate the word 'metaphysics' with crystal religions and astrology because that is NOT what metaphysics means in philosophy. If one is interested in finding out what "true" metaphysics is, this book is accessible to almost anyone. The later chapters get complicated but if the reader takes some time, the material can be understood. One thing to note is that Carter's own views dominate the book and, as with anything, one should not just read this book. Readers might be interested in Peter van Inwagen's *Metaphysics* after reading this book. Also, if *Elements of Metaphysics* does get too thick, the reader may wish to read Thomas Nagel's *What Does It All Mean?* before continuing to work through Carter's book.