Aristotle's 'Metaphysics' - (Reader's Guides) by Edward Halper (Paperback)

About the Book

A concise, accessible and student-friendly introduction to a key text in Ancient Philosophy.

Book Synopsis

Aristotle's
Metaphysics is an extremely rich and important philosophical work that
continues to inspire reflection and debate. Indeed, no philosophical work has
been more influential.Yet, the Metaphysics is also notoriously
complex.Because the work is an inquiry
that seeks to discover solutions to problems rather than to defend doctrines,
readers often struggle to follow the text and to understand its final
solutions.This book focuses on the
fascinating metaphysical issues that Aristotle is addressing. By working through the text, Halper explains
how these issues arise, how the text engages them, and how it argues for
solutions.Besides showing how to read the
text, Halper aims to help readers reflect on the issues.
Aristotle's Metaphysics: A
Reader's Guide presents a concise and accessible introduction to the text,
offering invaluable guidance on:
- Philosophical context
- Key themes
- Reading
the text
- Reception and influence
- Further reading

Review Quotes

'Aristotle's Metaphysics is not an easy book to read, but now it is possible for both graduate and undergraduate classes to study it first-hand. Ed Halper has done a beautiful job of mapping the whole terrain of Aristotle's complex dialectical argument from beginning to end.Thanks to this overview of the whole, one can now chart a well-informed course through a coherent sequence of its parts.'

'Having already earned an enduring place as an expositor of Aristotle's work in his One and Many in Aristotle's Metaphysics, Edward C. Halper now proves that he is an expert teacher as well. Informed throughout by his unique awareness of the dialectical integrity of this indispensable text, Halper's pellucid guide provides the beginner with a firm foundation for further progress in philosophy.'

'This clear and concise book is an invaluable guide to one of Aristotle's most important and profound works. The analysis that Halper offers allow those beginning to navigate the intricacies of Aristotle's Metaphysics to see the main lines of each argument and to make sense of the work as an integral whole.'

About the Author

Edward Halper is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Georgia, USA. His publications include the three volume series One and Many in Aristotle's Metaphysics (Parmenides Press), Form and Reason: Essays in Metaphysics (SUNY Press, 1993) and some fifty papers in journals and anthologies.