Introduction to Metaphysics: From Parmenides to Levinas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0231148445 ISBN 13: 9780231148443

Publisher: Columbia University Press, 2012

Jean Grondin completes the first history of metaphysics and respects both the analytical and the Continental schools while transcending the theoretical limitations of each. He reviews seminal texts by Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, and Augustine. He follows the theological turn in the metaphysical thought of Avicenna, Anselm, Aquinas, and Duns Scotus, and he revisits Descartes and the cogito; Spinoza and Leibniz's rationalist approaches; Kant's reclaiming of the metaphysical tradition; and post-Kantian practice up to Hegel. He engages with twentieth century innovations that upended the discipline, particularly Heidegger's revival of the question of Being and the rediscovery of the metaphysics of existence by Sartre and the Existentialists, language by Gadamer and Derrida, and transcendence by Levinas. Metaphysics is often dismissed as a form or epoch of philosophy that must be overcome, yet by promoting a full understanding of its platform and processes, Grondin reveals its cogent approach to reality and foundational influence on modern philosophy and science. By restoring the value of metaphysics for contemporary audiences, Grondin showcases the rich currents and countercurrents of metaphysical thought and its future possibilities.

About the Author:

Jean Grondin is professor of philosophy at the University of Montreal. He is a world-renowned philosopher whose books in the fields of metaphysics, German philosophy, and hermeneutics have been translated into fourteen languages. He was a pupil, friend, and close collaborator of Hans-Georg Gadamer on whom he wrote a landmark biography. His prestigious honors include the Konrad-Adenauer-Award, election to the Royal Society of Canada, a Killam fellowship, an honorary doctorate from the University of Tucumán, numerous research grants, memberships on scientific boards of first-rate philosophy journals, and guest professorships at institutions throughout the world. His books in English include Introduction to Philosophical Hermeneutics and Sources of Hermeneutics.
Lukas Soderstrom is a graduate student in philosophy at the University of Montreal.

Review:

What makes this book an excellent introduction to metaphysics is its lucid and subtle account of the different versions of 'metaphysics' we encounter within our tradition. In other words, it is an excellent introduction not only to metaphysics in general but also to Parmenides, Aristotle, Duns Scotus, Descartes, Schelling, Heidegger, and more. (Michael King, University of Reading)

I know of no other book that gives such a subtle and often original reading of the major moments in the history of metaphysics and does so with the aim of elucidating the nature, scope, and future of metaphysics. (Francisco J. Gonzalez, University of Ottawa)

We have no modern historical and reliable introduction to the history and paradoxes of metaphysics: either we have old-fashioned, neo-scholastic handbooks; partial, un-historical essays in the analytical style; or brilliant yet enigmatic 'deconstructionist' essays. We desperately need a sound, scholarly, up-to-date, and lucid approach to this subject: a historical and, at the same time, speculative description of the doctrines and living questions in this field. Jean Grondin's Introduction to Metaphysics is the perfect match for those challenges. (Jean-Luc Marion)

This book is directed toward those analytic and continental philosophers who still believe it is possible to think independently of our metaphysical tradition, that is, of Being. Heidegger, Rorty, and Vattimo show us that metaphysics is impossible to overcome yet can only be surpassed, that is, weakened and incorporated into the event of our own thoughts. Given this new task for philosophy, Jean Grondin's text must be studied carefully by anyone who wants to become a philosopher in the twenty-first century. (Santiago Zabala, ICREA Research Professor at the University of Barcelona)

Knowledgeable and thought-provoking―Grondin tells us, from a Continental point of view, a compelling story of metaphysics. (Vittorio G. Hösle, University of Notre Dame)

Grondin is the best expert on Gadamer and hermeneutic philosophy, and a leading scholar on Kant and Heidegger. For some ten years, he has been publishing on broad issues like religion and the meaning of life. He has now produced a masterly synthesis on metaphysics that makes a powerful case for its present relevance. (Rémi Brague, University of Paris 1–Panthéon-Sorbonne)

The very first thoroughgoing historical introduction to metaphysics in all of its major permutations over the centuries from the eminent scholar Jean Grondin. (Journal of the History of Philosophy)