Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction

by Edward Feser

Scholastic A Contemporary Introduction provides an overview of Scholastic approaches to causation, substance, essence, modality, identity, persistence, teleology, and other issues in fundamental metaphysics. The book interacts heavily with the literature on these issues in contemporary analytic metaphysics, so as to facilitate the analytic reader’s understanding of Scholastic ideas and the Scholastic reader’s understanding of contemporary analytic philosophy. The Aristotelian theory of actuality and potentiality provides the organizing theme, and the crucial dependence of Scholastic metaphysics on this theory is demonstrated. The book is written from a Thomistic point of view, but Scotist and Suarezian positions are treated as well where they diverge from the Thomistic position.

Genres: Philosophy, Theology, Metaphysics, Christianity, Religion, Catholic, Nonfiction

365 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2014

About the author

Edward Feser is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, California. He has been a Visiting Assistant Professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and a Visiting Scholar at the Social Philosophy and Policy Center at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of California at Santa Barbara, an M.A. in religion from the Claremont Graduate School, and a B.A. in philosophy and religious studies from the California State University at Fullerton.

Called by National Review “one of the best contemporary writers on philosophy,” Feser is the author of On Nozick, Philosophy of Mind, Locke, The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism, and Aquinas, and editor of The Cambridge Companion to Hayek and Aristotle on Method and Metaphysics. He is also the author of many academic articles. His primary academic research interests are in the philosophy of mind, moral and political philosophy, and the philosophy of religion.

Feser also writes on politics and culture, from a conservative point of view; and on religion, from a traditional Roman Catholic perspective. In this connection, his work has appeared in such publications as The American, The American Conservative, City Journal, The Claremont Review of Books, Crisis, First Things, Liberty, National Review, New Oxford Review, Public Discourse, Reason, and TCS Daily.

He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and six children.

Reviews

[Pinkyivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Feser does not have the ability to argue at the level of Garrigou-Lagrange or Alexander Pruss he has another quality that is often not there, especially for scholastic metaphysicians, he is able to make the argument clear and will serve both for reference and as a textbook in a way others will not and this is a must read for anyone interested in the subject on any level. All is not well only in the sense that he does not engage much with Kant, Hegel and Heidegger and spends most of his time with Hume, Russell, Quine, Locke and others in the mainstream anglophone philosophy.

[Wyatt Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear yet detailed account of contemporary scholastic metaphysics. He engages with a giant amount of scholarship while also referring to Aquinas and others. A true introduction which does not dumb down the material but simply gives it to you.

[Matt Pitts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feser is fantastic. At times he got a little more into the weeds than seemed necessary for an introduction, but he’s the expert, not me. On the whole he seemed to focus on major issues and he addressed plenty of objections. I certainly didn’t take it all in on a first read, but this is a great go-to for scholastic metaphysics.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful in fits and starts, incredibly dry prose. Rather like eating a bucket of sawdust and occasionally finding a nice ripe strawberry. Kreeft’s “A Shorter Summa” was a welcome break; Thomas really is easier to read than the Thomists.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise summary of refutations of modern philosophy's arguments contra Scholastic metaphysics

Considering this book is only ~260 pages, Dr. Feser covers a lot of ground. I found the beginning on causality and Dr. Feser's several arguments against Hume's "loose and separate" conception of causality very good.

Dr. Feser engages modern physics, too, quoting Heisenberg's Physics and Philosophy and briefly mentioning structural realism. His analogy that uncolored color-by-the-numbers drawings are to physical theory as a metaphysical explanation of said theory is to reality was illustrative. Feser also argues, along with Nancy Cartwright, that modern science supports the Aristotelian tenet that physical objects have essences, because if they did not, one could not make sense of how physical theories (e.g., Newton's inverse-square law of gravitation between two bodies) never hold exactly (e.g., ∵ of the perturbing influence of other bodies). Physical laws, pace Hume, flow from the natures of things; change the laws, change the nature.

Feser also discusses the real distinction between act and potency and relates that to the real distinction between essence and existence.

At the very end, Dr. Feser briefly discusses analogy and the analogy of being.

The only drawback is that the book is so short. There was no space for much discussion at all of natural theology, for example. Dr. Feser does cite many good scholastic manuals and writings of analytic philosophers for further reading, though. This book has certainly inspired me to check out Nancy Cartwright, David Oderberg, Walter Ott, and Anjan Chakravartty's A Metaphysics for Scientific Realism: Knowing the Unobservable . That book apparently relates hylemorphism (although he doesn't use that term, saying "powers", I think it was) to scientific realism.

I can't wait for Dr. Feser's book on natural philosophy which he said he's going to write next. ☺

[Jonathan Platter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an indispensable guide to scholastic metaphysics. The main virtue which distinguishes this book from others is that it is not simply historical on the one hand nor idiosyncratic on the other. Feser is neither providing a strict account of Thomistic metaphysics (though Thomas is one of the main heroes) nor offering his own system. Rather, Feser offers an introduction to metaphysics in the scholastic mode, recommending it by defending it and contrasting it with more recent analytic metaphysics.

Overall, the presentation is elegant and systematic, beginning with the fundamental act-potency distinction and showing how it is both the most coherent metaphysic and the basis of scholastic philosophy following Aquinas.

Feser's interaction with contemporary analytic metaphysics was superb, making the project relevant for contemporary thought in a way no other book does. He both integrates recent developments in philosophy (especially the understanding of causality as rooted in "powers" or dispositions that inhere in objects) and critiques and rejects other developments. Notable here is his comparison of new forms of essentialism in analytic philosophy, especially following Kripke and Putnam, with scholastic essentialism. The former relies on possible world's semantics and hence can only name an essence by counterfactuals, whereas scholastic essentialism understands a thing's essence to be the source of a things real properties. I also gained much from his critique and analysis of "atomism" as a purported alternative to hylemorphism.

The book is well worth $20 and the time for reading it cover-to-cover. It's an important book to have on the shelf.

[Paul Barth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very helpful introduction to metaphysics. I particularly appreciated his critiques of scientism and his use of analogies and examples to explain difficult concepts. At points, however, it is tedious when the author responds to various modern critiques.

[Laurent Dv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellente introduction à la métaphysique scolastique (thomiste en fait) par un auteur très pédagogue et concis qui arrive à rendre intelligible des notions abstraites et des arguments philosophiques parfois très complexes ! Feser utilise beaucoup d'exemples concrets, c'est pour ça que vous verrez peut-être pour la première fois des vélociraptor et Hulk dans un livre de philosophie ! Pour autant, je conseille très fortement de régulièrement prendre des notes et surligner le livre pour ne pas vous perdre et vraiment apprendre des choses.

Ce livre a le mérite d'être à la fois exhaustif et concis (toutes les parties sont assez équilibrées et assez courtes). Sont traités : acte/puissance, substance/accidents, matière/forme, distinctions réelles/virtuelles/formelles, essence/existence, essence/propriétés (i.e. accidents propres), les universels/particuliers, l'analogie, la principe de causalité, le principe de finalité. Autant de notions élémentaires et indispensables pour comprendre la philosophie de Thomas d'Aquin et d'Aristote.

D'abord, il confronte l'avis de Thomas d'Aquin à celui d'autres philosophes médiévaux : Suarez, Duns Scot et Ockham pour bien nous faire comprendre leurs différences. Ensuite, il interagit énormément avec les philosophes analytiques contemporains (par ex Thomas Nagel, Anthony Kenny, Hilary Putnam, Saul Kripfe, Alexander Pruss, Alvin Plantinga, David Lewis, Wittgenstein, Anscombe, Quine, Russel), des modernes (Hume, Locke). Comme certains l'ont écrit, c'est vrai qu'il manque des discussions avec les idéalistes (Kant, Hegel) et plus généralement des rationalistes (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz). Mais bon, le livre serait alors peut-être trop gros pour une introduction. L'important, c'est que Feser répond aux objections des courants les plus populaires aujourd'hui : le scientisme, l'empirisme et les philosophie basée sur les mondes possibles.

Je l'ai dit ailleurs, le contenu de ce livre recoupe celui de plusieurs de ses autres livres (The last superstition, Aquinas, Five proofs for the existence of God) et inversement.

[MM · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing introduction to the topic. I haven't read the original works, so I cannot say how "true to tradition" he is, but Feser is extremely accessible and sheds a lot of light on how Scholastic views on causality, the theory of act and potency, hylemorphism, etc are relevant to us today. He has large sections on objections and the Scholastic response, which, since often the objections mirrored my own, were very helpful. He also shows how the early moderns, Hume in particular, misinterpreted a lot of mediaeval thought, leading to some fundamental issues in contemporary analytic philosophy.

Reading this has also helped me understand how the theory of powers, being more intuitive (initially I think, though of course most of us are indoctrinated into Hume before we know it!), is more philosophically valid than the alternative. This is personally relevant to me, as a prominent Sunni theological school, Asharism, has (as far as I'm aware) similar conclusions to Hume when it comes to causality, which they then connect to God. Reading this book makes me question the validity of those views, and I am now encouraged to learn more about Islamic theology to see if their arguments are at all similar to their contemporary Hume's. I'm also very curious now on what it means to be a "true" cause, and if secondary causes can be true causes. (Aquinas, according to Feser, would say they are.)

I was surprised at what a big role change and limitation play in Scholastic philosophy. It is still hard for me to wrap my head around thinking of things "in potency" (I suppose this is why I never understood potential energy in Physics' class!), but Feser's Scholastic arguments are very convincing. His explanation of why causes and effects are often simultaneous (though not instantaneous) was also very enlightening.

As someone with a (very basic) interest in philosophy of the mind, I thought Feser's critique of dualism (mind vs matter) was very interesting. Though not obvious, Cartesian dualism has led to a lot of seemingly-irresolvable problems in contemporary philosophy of the mind, e.g. qualia. To me, this was the most interesting section of the book, and Feser does not limit himself to Scholastic philosphers, but quotes Thomas Nagel and some other guy whose name I forget in helping show that as long as we maintain a dualism between the mind and matter, "removing" the mind from matter, issues relating to phenomenal experience (i.e. phenomenology) will always exist.

Lastly, Feser has a chapter at the beginning refuting scientism ("Against scientism") that I think everybody should read. Very clear and succinct.

Great book.

[Hasnain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edward Feser's 'Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction', is an erudite account of medieval philosophical concepts and notions_ common to both the Scholastic and Islamic, intellectual traditions_ that presents a convincing argument for the enduring relevance, and profound significance, of Scholastic Metaphysics, contrary to that which is posited by most modern proponents of science, particularly the empiricists, who claim the obsolescence of philosophy in general, and scholastic metaphysics in particular. The text discusses core metaphysical concepts, theories and principles, underlying scholastic philosophy within an Aristotelian framework, in accordance with its Thomistic interpretation. Feser discusses concepts such as essence & existence, unity & plurality, actuality & potency, substance & accident, and causality, in a style that is simultaneously both succinct and engaging, and in the process disproves the erroneous anti-scholastic interpretations of contemporary scientific theories.

[Ethan Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Edward Feser provides a well written introduction to scholastic metaphysics for contemporary philosophers interested in interacting with a historic philosophical position that fell in prominence and is once again on the rise. For the contemporary philosopher trained in the Analytic tradition, Feser provides windows back and forth that allow members of each tradition (Scholastic and Analytic, respectively) to understand and dialogue with each other by providing detailed definitions of terms and the way the terms are understood and used historically. This allows the two positions to better dialogue with one another, which in this dialogue dry age is a welcome well of refreshment. He also helpfully provides overviews of historic and contemporary Scholastic defenses for the positions they take. Regardless of whether one ultimately finds them persuasive, they are detailed and worth interacting with. Feser's book should become the new standard for new Analytic philosophers seeking to engage the Scholastic philosophical tradition in an introductory class.

[Pinky 2.0 · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Feser does not have the ability to argue at the level of Garrigou-Lagrange or Alexander Pruss he has another quality that is often not there, especially for scholastic metaphysicians, he is able to make the argument clear and will serve both for reference and as a textbook in a way others will not and this is a must read for anyone interested in the subject on any level. All is not well only in the sense that he does not engage much with Kant, Hegel and Heidegger and spends most of his time with Hume, Russell, Quine, Locke and others in the mainstream anglophone philosophy.

[Zachary Horn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The quality of this book is doubtless greater than my enjoyment/appreciation of it. A commendable treatment of Scholastic metaphysics, but at times very technical, and the rapid engagement with numerous counter perspectives made for a somewhat dizzying pace. Nonetheless, a very helpful resource.

[B. Rule · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a dense, technical, and cogent summary of Thomistic metaphysics, with a good account of its differences from the positions of Suarez and Scotus. Feser takes care to argue in a way that appeals to contemporary analytic philosophers in defending the traditional Scholastic approach. However, the book is also dry as toast. Feser's preferred style is a droning lecture full of bursts of compressed argumentation and lots of (helpful, technical) definitions. There is next to no humor, sense of beauty, or deviation from the Received Wisdom here. He's an explicator, not an independent thinker. That's fine, but it also makes for some slow going at times. Very useful for what it is, as long as that's what you're after. Would probably be more useful as a textbook reference than rainy day reading.

[A.J. Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book on the subject. The book had way more information than I needed, because the author deals with the many and various criticisms of scholastic metaphysics made by analytic philosophers, which I'm not that interested in, although I did find some of this information interesting. At times the text became too academic and technical for my interests and abilities but, if you're interested in that sort of thing, you will certainly enjoy this book. The author's "Aquinas: A Beginner's Guide" was far more helpful to me, since that's what I'm really interested in at the present time, and because it's written more for the general reader.

[Rory Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scholastic Metaphysics is mainly a portrayal of Thomist metaphysics, albeit with an occasional reference to other scholastics such as Scotus and Suaraz. What makes this book very different to the pre-1970 Scholastic manuals and handbooks which can be found on the internet, is that this book engages actively with contemporary non-scholastic philosophers, especially those from the analytic tradition.

One of the very useful features of the book is that it mediates the terminology of scholastic and modern analytic philosophy, showing each tradition how the other uses key terminology. This makes it easier for philosophers of either tradition to understand the thought world of the other and to offer arguments which are readily understandable.

The book also takes on some of the issues raised by analytic philosophy, and it argues a scholastic viewpoint. Due to the limited size of the book, there are some significant gaps in what this book is able to cover. For example, its chapter 4 focuses on issues of ‘being.’ It makes some useful points but it is unable to probe the issues surrounding the problem of whether existence is a predicate or not.

One area where the book is arguably a little too brief is on the issue of whether logical possibilities exist. The author notes that in a realist perspective things either exist in reality or in minds. (ie There are no platonic realms of existents). So what are we to make of a logical possibility, or indeed of unrealised ideas, like mythical monsters?

The author notes that previous generations of scholastics have dealt with that problem by simply appealing to the divine mind. And that is where he states that he will leave the issue too, as he does not have the scope to explore the matter further (p.263).

That’s a very odd place to leave what is an important topic. Arguments for and against the existence of God often make claims about what is logically possible in a non-existent (nilhilo) pre-creation state of the universe, so the status of logical possibilities is a potentially important issue. It is also odd to leave the issues hanging when that can leave an impression that logical possibilities in the absence of any other realities presuppose the existence of a divine mind, in which they can exist. That sounds like something that a nineteenth century ontologist might try to argue: if 2+2=4, then God exists…(?).

There is clearly more that needs to be said about the existence of logical possibilities. Hopefully, if there is a second edition, that lacuna will be addressed.

Otherwise, the book is well presented with clearly defined sections and bibliographies. Somewhat unusually for a book of this nature, the author does not use footnotes. That actually makes the text easier to follow that other books in the genre, as there were no parallel discussions in footnotes to keep jumping to. However, there were a few typos in the text. For example, Page 44 had ‘actus gurus’ instead of ‘actus purus.’

Overall this is a useful and informative overview of scholastic and analytic approaches to common issues within the traditional category of metaphysics. The detail and complexity of some of the ideas means that the book will be appreciated most by those with a background in either scholastic philosophy or analytic philosophy.

[The Digital · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough introduction to the foundations of scholastic metaphysics. Feser responds to various contemporary arguments against the Thomistic understanding of metaphysics. The response to these objections does become a bit repetitive towards the end, and certain schools of contemporary philosophy are covered more than others, but it is sufficient for an introduction and gives the reader the proper tools to consider arguments for themselves.

What underpins this book is not only a general response to and defense from contemporary philosophy against Scholastic Metaphysics, but also the idea of analogical predication of being. The first chapter's topic of act and potency essentially forms the basis of the entirety of Thomistic/Aristotelian metaphysics by presenting a notion by which we can understand the relationship between form and matter, essence and existence, and similar metaphysical concepts. This is made especially clear in the final chapter which finally introduces the term as a sort of "middle predication" between univocal and equivocal, allowing us to speak analogically of being, without fully committing to univocal or equivocal predication.

Overall, this is a very impressive introduction to and defense of Scholastic Metaphysics. I would recommend it to anybody remotely interested. I only wish this book would've delved more into the territory of natural theology.

[Gregory Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has helped me to understand better some of the central concepts of scholastic metaphysics: act and potency, causation, substance, matter and form, essence and existence. It deals mainly with Thomist metaphysics, but also touches on points where John Duns Scotus, William of Ockham, and Francisco Suarez had different ideas than St. Thomas Aquinas. Occasionally this can be confusing. For example, in section 1.3, "Real distinctions?", it seems to get bogged down in the controversy of Aquinas vs. Scotus and Suarez over real distinctions and logical distinctions, and a third kind of distinction, without telling us why any of these distinctions "make a difference" or are important and worth knowing about. But mostly it is a good book.

I like the fact that the book engages with post-Scholastic philosophers, and not only "modern" philosophers like Descartes, Locke, and Hume, but also recent and contemporary analytic philosophers. Some readers may find that also confusing, but it should be noted that although this book is an introduction, it is an introduction at an advanced level, and presupposes (or at least it is best read) with some prior knowledge of the history of philosophy including recent philosophy in the analytical school.

Feser's engagement extends even to what he calls "scientism" or "naturalism" -- the view that the methods of natural science alone give us knowledge, and the objects of natural science are the only things that exist. If that were so, then metaphysics would be impossible. So before even getting off the ground, he considers that position. His rebuttal is both colorful and effective.

[Samuel Kropp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would not recommend as an introduction to the subject, also, I did not find the organization conducive to learning the subject matter. I felt myself saying multiple times in the book, “Didn’t we talk about this in a chapter 80 pages ago? Why didn’t we discuss this thing then?”

In the title, the key word is “contemporary.” If you find yourself defending Scholastic metaphysics up against empirialists, naturalists, or Humeans, you will find this book very helpful! For that end it is actually a four star book, with one still docked for formatting for me personally.

I definitely learned some things, I believe I could have learned more if I had read a couple actual introductory works prior to this one. Now I am retracing my steps via other works like Wolter’s Little Summary of Metaphysics and will likely have a revisit a couple chapters in this book.

[Andreas Østergaard Jacobsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fremragende bog af Feser. Der er fire hovedemner: Aktualitet/potentialitet, kausalitet, substans, essens/eksistens. Feser tager læseren igennem grundlæggende skolastisk, især thomistisk, metafysik. Den er velargumenteret og -formuleret, og Feser viser klart, hvordan alle de forskellige metafysiske områder relaterer sig til hinanden og bringer skolastikken i dialog med naturvidenskab, antik filosofi, moderne filosofi og ny analytisk metafysik og viser overbevisende, at en rig skolastisk metafysik er den bedste forklaring på virkeligheden.

Bogen forudsætter, at man ikke er grøn til metafysik, men er en god læseoplevelse, hvis man allerede er bekendt med metafysiske diskussioner og vil tage et dybere spadestik i skolastikkens metafysiske argumentation og position.

Varm anbefaling herfra!

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel, having read this book, that I've not just had an introduction into the Scholastic Metaphysic, but also understood better the intellectual history of western civilisation and how the reigning thought-paradigms arrived at where they are today. (I used to think I understood this pretty thoroughly - I did not!)

As someone who has been formed in my philosophical approach to the world by highly modern and analytic philosophy, I can now say that in my subjective impression hylemorphic thought makes far more sense of the world than my previous unconsciously developed way of looking at things.

[Joel Newberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good for what it is: a weighty survey of scholastic philosophy. Dense reading at its finest, with high payoffs for those beginning to wade into the depths of philosophy, especially for theological thinking. This is helpful for understanding the importance of Aquinas and the moderate use of Platonic realism and Aristotelian thought for theology. Highly recommend if this is what you are looking for; otherwise, be prepared. It is also essential to have a dictionary of scholastic philosophy nearby while reading. If you don't need a dictionary, you probably don't need this volume!

[Michael Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the book, but it feels like in the complete guide to scholasticism and Thomism. I have to say, I do love Feser's arrogance and wit, but it's sometimes a distraction and perhaps not the best representatives of the Thomists. Kreeft is correct in asserting that it is best to have an understanding of the Summa before reading about the Summa.

[David Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book represents an indispensable aid to those who would attempt to fathom the depths of philosophy and theology of the middle ages. Feser can be considered one of the better expositors of the theological and philosophical positions of Thomas Aquinas. Although this book is not an easy read, it is an important source for any who would study Aquinas.

[Nicholas Satterlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a perfect introduction for me at least. Fesser is a really good writer and I really look forward to getting to his other works and I 100% plan on re reading this soon if not immediately. He gives a fantastic coverage of the subject and responds to both old and contemporary thinkers and shows how contemporary thinkers tend to make the mistakes of Heraclitus and Parmenides.

[Kevin Sheth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I understood was really good, but there was a lot I did not understand! This really isn't an introduction in the sense that it describes what certain scholastic philosophers have taught, but directly introduces a contemporary scholastic metaphysic in conversation with opposing metaphysical views. Ye be warned.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Extremely useful introduction to understanding
Scholastics (mostly Aquinas, but also a bit of Scotus and Suarez)
on things like virtual and real existence, act and potency, accident and
substance.

[Henry]

This is a great introduction to Thomistic metaphysics. Very readable. Worth starting here before moving onto something like Garrigou-Lagrange. This is probably a better intro than Feser’s Aquinas book.

[Jared Mindel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great at what it sets out to do; it's a really good introduction. I usually recommend this as an introduction, but eventually you have to move onto better neo-Scholastics like Coffey, Wolter, and RGL. But it's nice to have a work that explains concepts as the background for those writers.

[Josiah Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very helpful for me, a student who is not extremely aquainted with scholasticism, to become more aware of the sort of categories that are used to understand God and creation. I really appreciate how readable Feser is (I have read two of his books so far).