By Ian Proops (NHC Fellow, 2012–13) Kant conceived of 'critique' as a kind of winnowing exercise, with the aim of separating the wheat of good metaphysics from the chaff of bad. He used a less familiar metaphor to make this point, namely, that of 'the fiery test of critique'-not a medieval ordeal of trial by … Continued
By Norman Kretzmann (NHC Fellow, 1992–93) The Metaphysics of Theism is the definitive study of the natural theology of Thomas Aquinas, the greatest of medieval philosophers, written by one of the world's most eminent scholars of medieval thought. Natural theology is the investigation by analysis and rational argument of fundamental questions about reality, considered in relation … Continued
By Eleonore Stump (NHC Fellow, 1999–00) Few philosophers or theologians exerted as much influence on the shape of medieval thought as Thomas Aquinas. He ranks amongst the most famous of the Western philosophers and was responsible for almost single-handedly bringing the philosophy of Aristotle into harmony with Christianity. He was also one of the first … Continued
By J. T. Ismael (NHC Fellow, 2003–04) J. T. Ismael's monograph is an ambitious contribution to the metaphysics and the philosophy of language and mind. She tackles a philosophical question whose origin goes back to Descartes: What am I? The self is not a mere thing among things – but if so, what is it, … Continued
By Richard Patterson (NHC Fellow, 1985–86) Aristotle's Modal Logic presents a radically new interpretation of Aristotle's logic by arguing that a proper understanding of the system depends on an appreciation of its connection to the metaphysics. Patterson establishes that there is a fundamental connection between Aristotle's logic of possibility and necessity, and his metaphysics; that … Continued
By Robert D. Richardson (NHC Fellow, 1999–00) The definitive biography of the fascinating William James, whose life and writing put an indelible stamp on psychology, philosophy, teaching, and religion — on modernism itselfPivotal member of the Metaphysical Club, author of The Varieties of Religious Experience, eldest sibling in the extraordinary James family, William emerges here … Continued
By Ásta (NHC Fellow, 2016–17) We are women, we are men. We are refugees, single mothers, people with disabilities, and queers. We belong to social categories and they frame our actions, self-understanding, and opportunities. But what are social categories? How are they created and sustained? How does one come to belong to them? Ásta approaches … Continued
By L. A. Paul (NHC Fellow, 2011–12) Causation is at once familiar and mysterious. Many believe that the causal relation is not directly observable, but that we nevertheless can somehow detect its presence in the world, and much work in the natural and social sciences relies on our ability to detect it. Yet neither common … Continued
By Clément RossetEdited and translated by David F. Bell (NHC Fellow, 1990–91) In Joyful Cruelty, Clément Rosset attempts to formulate a philosophical practice that refuses to turn away from the world and thereby accepts a confrontation with reality (what he calls real) in all of its immediacy. Such a direct confrontation, in the absence of … Continued
By John Wilkinson (NHC Fellow, 2007–08) In this important new intervention, leading poet and critic John Wilkinson explores the material life of the lyric poem. How does the lyric – considered as an object, as an event – grapple with permanence and impermanence, the rhythms of change and the passing of time? Drawing on new … Continued