The Science of Being as Being: Metaphysics Through Aristotle

Unifying metaphysics by treating it as the science of being as being, this book illuminates questions in metaphysics by treating them as debates about the nature of various kinds of being. Aristotle's positions on metaphysical topics provide a starting point for the chapters as author George Couvalis explains, critiques, and builds on each with knowledge of modern science and its implications for metaphysics. Couvalis begins by explaining the claim that metaphysics is the science of being as being by contrasting beings with hallucinations. He then turns to a range of questions, including whether being is primarily to be understood as essence, whether laws of nature are to be understood to be about powers or about relations between universals, whether relations exist in addition to relata, whether empty space exists as a thing separate from relations, whether space is constituted by points, whether God or gods exist, and whether there are exceptions to the laws of non-contradiction and excluded middle.

As a comprehensive exploration of metaphysics from foundational historical arguments to the most contemporary intersections of philosophy and science, The Science of Being as Being is an accessible yet thorough and sophisticated treatise for scholars and students.