Peter Van Inwagen : Materialism, Free Will and God

This book discusses the philosophy of influential contemporary philosopher Peter van Inwagen. Looking at perennial philosophical problems from a modern point of view, Peter van Inwagen’s philosophy masterfully combines positions that have been considered irreconcilable: incompatibilism concerning free will, materialism, organicism, theism and realism concerning fictional entities. As readers will discover, his arguments are witty, surprising and deep.

The book includes Peter van Inwagen’s Münster Lecture of 2015 on free will, as well as eleven papers from the Münster colloquium discussing central themes of his philosophy, and a reply to each paper by Peter van Inwagen himself. Introducing his philosophy and relating his work to other contemporary views, this book is of interest to graduate students and professionals in philosophy alike.

Ludger Jansen teaches philosophy at the Ruhr-University Bochum and the University of Rostock. He holds degrees in both philosophy and theology, a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Münster, and habilitated in philosophy at the University of Rostock. His research covers wide areas of metaphysics and ontology, including the biomedical and social ontology.

Paul M. Näger is currently an assistant professor for philosophy at the University of Münster. He studied physics and philosophy in Munich, Oxford and Bremen and specializes in the philosophy of science, the philosophy of physics and metaphysics. He is author of the forthcoming book “Quantum Entanglement and Causation” and a co-author of the textbook “The Philosophy of Quantum Physics”.