Explorations in Metaphysics - (Series in Financial Economics and) by W Norris Clarke (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This collection of essays is a compilation of the thought and work of W. Norris Clarke, S.J., a philosopher inspired by the Thomistic tradition, who in 45 years of teaching and writing has delved into many of the central problems of perennial philosophy and made a significant contribution to the ongoing history of American Thomism.

The essays presented here reflect an internal unity-each essay deliberately building on the positions put forth in the preceding ones-as they progress systematically through the themes of metaphysics and philosophy of God. Clarke begins with an overall survey of what in Aquinas's metaphysics is most relevant for today, and then suggests the most fruitful starting point for a contemporary presentation of such a metaphysics. The next five essays discuss key positions in metaphysics and are followed by two essays on the philosophy of God. The final essay illuminates key themes in Clarke's most recent work on the human person. Clarke's examination of topics in all these areas is especially concerned with the notions of action and participation in existence as being central to the metaphysical study of reality. This then leads to a close study of the often misunderstood Thomistic doctrine of analogy and how it functions in the construction of a viable philosophy of God.

The overall spirit that permeates the volume is Clarke's firm conviction that the philosophical thought of St. Thomas Aquinas is an inexhaustibly rich and profound resource, and his purpose is to share this conviction with contemporary philosophers. In so doing Clarke both reflects and triggers significant new directions in contemporary Thomistic thought.

Review Quotes

"Explorations in Metaphysics is both a reflection of W. Norris Clarke's long career of probing and questioning and the product of an intellect focused on some of the most profound and difficult problems facing the contemporary metaphysician. Although Clarke's textual knowledge of Aquinas is unsurpassed, he is no exegete; rather he is a dynamic interpreter drawing upon a master as he engages some of the best minds of his own generation. Whatever the topic . . . one can count on uncommon learning and analysis." --Jude P. Dougherty, The Catholic University of America

". . . this volume offers contemporary Catholic philosophy at its best. . . . These essays succeed admirable in . . . showing us how rediscovering the riches of its own tradition can enable Catholic philosophy to engage the contemporary intellectual world and address the critical issues of our day." --First Things

"This . . . is a welcome resource to 'Thomistically inspired' metaphysicians. Revised in part to include [Clarke's] latest insights and published with an illuminating autobiographical introduction to his philosophical thought, these essays have lost nothing of their original vigor, clarity, and relevance. . . . [Clarke] offers an insightful, challenging, and eminently readable book, one that should awaken its readers to 'the seminal riches in St. Thomas' metaphysical thought' and help them continue [his] own work of 'creative completion.' " --Theological Studies

"This collection of ten essays from the philosophical journeys of Fr. Norris Clarke, S.J., . . . covers the familiar metaphysical territory of being, God, and person, but each time the traveler insists on looking at the same subjects with fresh eyes. He is anxious to identify within those timeless truths emphasized by Thomistic metaphysics what it is that needs special emphasis to be correctly understood in light of present day philosophical terminology and the current matrix of philosophical concerns." --American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly

About the Author

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).