Being, freedom, and method: themes from the philosophy of Peter Van Inwagen

415 Pages·2017·2.317 MB·English

by  Keller, John A., Van Inwagen, Peter

Being, Freedom, and Method

Being, Freedom,
and Method
Themes from the Philosophy of
Peter van Inwagen
 
John A. Keller
1
3
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Sometimes [van Inwagen] is philosophically conservative, taking up positions
that have fallen out of fashion and giving them a new life by his clever and
original defense of them; his work on free will is a good example of this.
Sometimes,especiallyinhisworkopposingorthodoxviewsaboutthecompos-
itionofthingsoutofparts,hetakesupradicallynewpositions,andagaindoesa
veryablejobofarguingthem.Eitherway,hisaimsareambitious;andhemakes
hiscasewiththeutmostprecision,lucidity,andfairness.Hisworkisamodelof
how systematic metaphysics ought to be pursued. Seldom do I agree with his
conclusions;butwheneverheupholdsorattacksaposition,he’stheonetobeat.
Igenerallycomeawayconvincedthatthere’sabsolutelynowayIcangranthis
premises and dodge his conclusions. He’s unsurpassed both for originality on
importantmattersandfortightnessofargument.
DavidLewis
April7,1994

Preface
Many thanks are due to Peter Momtchiloff and the contributors to this volume for
doing their jobs excellently and for patience when I faltered at mine. Very special
thanks, for oh so very many things, are due to Peter van Inwagen—my debt to
youwillneverberepaid.Finally,IthankfullyacknowledgetheassistanceofHannah
Zukoff,throughouttheproject,withformattingandothertediousnonsense.

Contents
Contributors xi
Introduction 1
JohnA.Keller
Part I. Being
1. TheoriesofCharacter 11
MichaelJ.Loux
2. AOneCategoryOntology 32
L.A.Paul
3. PropertiesasPartsofOrdinaryObjects 62
EricT.Olson
4. TimeTravelandtheMovablePresent 80
SaraBernstein
Part II. Freedom
5. TheDisconnectProblemandtheInfluenceStrategy 95
MarkHeller
6. RevisitingtheMindArgument 118
AliciaFinch
7.1. SymposiumontheFixityofthePast:Incompatibilismand
theFixityofthePast 140
NealA.TognazziniandJohnMartinFischer
7.2. SymposiumontheFixityofthePast:FreedomandModality 149
WesleyH.Holliday
Part III. God
8. Defenseless:ACritiqueofVanInwagen’sResponsetothe
ArgumentfromEvil 159
LouiseAntony
9. TheProblemofEvilandAtonement 186
EleonoreStump
10. SwingVote 209
FrancesHoward-Snyder
11. TheismandAllism 227
AlexRosenberg