Overview

When it is taught today, metaphysics is often presented as a fragmented view of philosophy that ignores the fundamental issues of its classical precedents. Eschewing these postmodern approaches, W. Norris Clarke finds an integrated vision of reality in the wisdom of Aquinas and here offers a contemporary version of systematic metaphysics in the Thomistic tradition. The One and the Many presents metaphysics as an integrated whole which draws on Aquinas' themes, structure, and insight without attempting to summarize his work. Although its primary inspiration is the philosophy of St. Thomas himself, it also takes into account significant contributions not only of later philosophers but also of those developments in modern science that have philosophical bearing, from the Big Bang to evolution.

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9780268037062

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Reviews

This is the book that many of us have long been waiting for: the systematic exposition of the Thomistically inspired but creative metaphysical system of one of the foremost philosophers in the Thomistic tradition. The work is not a recapitulation of standard Thomistic metaphysics so much as a re-creation, on Thomistic principles, of a contemporary metaphysical view that pushes Thomas' principles to new developments and applications. Clarke stresses participation in the act of existence, substance as dynamic, system as a new metaphysical category, philosophic ramifications of evolution and relativity, and the great circle of being embodied in the universe. The book is well suited to both as a text in a course in metaphysics and as an historically conscious source of insights for the professional philosopher. --James W. Felt, S.J., John Nobili Professor of Philosophy, Santa Clara University Both students and teacher will benefit from a highly readable account of major themes in Aquinas' metaphysics. The material is presented in a way accessible to those unfamiliar with the formidable Aristotelian apparatus usually presumed in textbook presentations of Aquinas. Clarke divides his book into short, easily digestible chapters. --Theological Studies

Author Information

W. Norris Clarke, S.J., is professor emeritus of philosophy at Fordham University and is the author of The One and the Many (University of Notre Dame Press., 1994).

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