The Way Things Are : Basic Readings in Metaphysics

Metaphysics is the systematic study of the world we inhabit and the subjects (the "we") who find ourselves in this world. There are com¬peting theories about the structure and nature of the world, the nature of thoughtful subjects, and the relationship between the world and those subjects. This anthology is an introduction to metaphysical philosophy conceived in this broad sense. The readings focus on many of the main questions and theories developed by metaphysi cians in the Western tradition. This anthology is a companion volume to my book The Elements of MetaPhysics, also published by McGraw-Hill. For helpful suggestions bearing on these projects I wish to thank (especially) Tom Regan, North Carolina State University; James Van Cleve, Brown University; David Sanford, Duke University; and Scott Hestevold, University of Alabama. William R. Carter Preface Introduction: MetaPhysics-Some Questions and Arguments W R. Carter PART I Identity 1. Of Personal Identity David Hume 2. Of Identity and Diversity John Locke 3. Of Identity Thomas Reid 4. Rigid Designation Hugh S. Chandler 5. 1¥here Am I? Daniel C. Dennett PART II Time 6. The Paradoxes of Time Travel David K. Lewis 7. Time without Change Sydney Shoemaker 8. How Fast Does Time Pass? Ned Markosian PART III Existence 9. Space, Time, and Universals Nicholas Wolterstorff 10. Negative Existentials Richard Cartwright 11. The Ontological Argument William L. Rowe 12. The First Dialogue George Berkeley PART IV Mind and Body 13. On the Nature of the Human Mind Rene Descartes 14. Body and Soul Richard Swinburne 15. Conceivability and the Cartesian Argument for Dualism james van Cleve 16. An Argument for the Identity Theory David K. Lewis 17. ``What Mary Didn`t Know``Frank jackson 18. ``Mental Events`` DonaldDavidson PART V Causality and Free Will 19. Of the Idea of Necessary Connection David Hume 20. Selective Necessity and the Free-Will Problem Michael Slote 21. Freedom and Foreknowledge john Martin Fischer