Real Essentialism (Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy, Vol. 11)

Oderberg, David S. S.

ISBN 10: 041587212X / ISBN 13: 9780415872126

Published by Routledge, 2008

314 pp., paperback, light soiling to page edges else text clean & binding tight. - If you are reading this, this item is actually (physically) in our stock and ready for shipment once ordered. We are not bookjackers. Buyer is responsible for any additional duties, taxes, or fees required by recipient's country. Seller Inventory # ZB1338357

Synopsis:

Real Essentialism presents a comprehensive defence of neo-Aristotelian essentialism. Do objects have essences? Must they be the kinds of things they are in spite of the changes they undergo? Can we know what things are really like – can we define and classify reality? Many, if not most, philosophers doubt this, influenced by centuries of empiricism, and by the anti-essentialism of Wittgenstein, Quine, Popper, and other thinkers. Real Essentialism reinvigorates the tradition of realist, essentialist metaphysics, defending the reality and knowability of essence, the possibility of objective, immutable definition, and its relevance to contemporary scientific and metaphysical issues such as whether essence transcends physics and chemistry, the essence of life, the nature of biological species, and the nature of the person.

About the Author:

David S. Oderberg is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading. He has published many books and articles in metaphysics, philosophical logic, ethics, philosophy of religion, and other subjects.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Real Essentialism (Routledge Studies in ...
Publisher: Routledge
Publication Date: 2008
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Very Good