EBOOK Metaphysics: A Very Short Introduction

Metaphysics is one of the traditional four main branches of philosophy, alongside        ethics, logic and epistemology. It is also an area that continues to attract and        hold a fascination for many people yet it is associated with being complex and        abstract. For some it is associated with the mystical or religious. For others it is        known through the metaphysical poets who talk of love and spirituality.This Very        Short Introduction goes right to the heart of the matter, getting to the basic and        most important questions of metaphysical thought in order to understand the theory:        What are objects? Do colours and shapes have some form of existence? What is it for        one thing to cause another rather than just being associated with it? What is        possible? Does time pass?By using these questions to initiate thought about the        basic issues around substance, properties, changes, causes, possibilities, time,        personal identity, nothingness and emergentism, Stephen Mumford provides a clear and        simple path through this analytical tradition at the core of philosophical        thought.