An Essay on Metaphysics

R. G. Collingwood, Robin George Collingwood

Clarendon Press, May 24, 2001 - Philosophy - 439 pages

An Essay on Metaphysics is one of the finest works of the great Oxford philosopher, historian, and archaeologist R. G. Collingwood (1889-1943). First published in 1940, it is a broad-ranging work in which Collingwood considers the nature of philosophy, especially of metaphysics. He putsforward his well-known doctrine of absolute presuppositions, expounds a logic of question and answer, and gives an original and influential account of causation. The book has been widely read and much discussed ever since.In this new edition the complete original text is accompanied by three previously unpublished essays by Collingwood which will be essential reading for any serious student of his thought: 'The Nature of Metaphysical Study' (1934), 'Function of Metaphysics in Civilization' (1938), and 'Notes for anEssay on Logic' (1939). These fascinating writings illuminate and amplify the ideas of the Essay, to which they are closely related. The distinguished philosopher and Collingwood scholar Rex Martin has established authoritative versions of these new texts, added a short set of notes on the Essay,and contributed a substantial introduction explaining the story of the composition of all these works, discussing their major themes, and setting them in the context of Collingwood's philosophy as a whole.

Contents

• ABBREVIATIONS: xiii
• SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY: xcvi
• AUTHORS DEDICATION AND PREFACE: ciii
• Aristotles Metaphysics: 3
• No Science of Pure Being II: 11
• Metaphysics without Ontology: 17
• Presuppositions: 34
• Metaphysics an Historical Science: 49
• The Reform of Metaphysics: 58
• What AntiMetaphysics Is: 81
• Psychology as AntiMetaphysics: 101
• Psychology as the PseudoScience: 112
• A PseudoScience refutes itself I 22: 122
• The Propaganda of Irrationalism: 133
• XIV Positivistic Metaphysics: 143
• A Positivistic Misinterpretation: 155
• Suicide of Positivistic Metaphysics: 162
• The Son of the Child: 172
• EXAMPLES: 181
• The Proposition God Exists: 185
• Religion and Natural Science in Primitive Society: 191
• Polytheistic and Monotheistic Science: 201
• Quicunque Vult: 213
• Kants Problem and the Problem of Today: 231
• Metaphysics and Critical Philosophy: 237
• Metaphysics as Transcendental Analytics: 243
• Axioms of Intuition: 248
• Anticipations of Perception: 258
• Analogies of Experience: 262
• Postulates of Empirical Thought: 273
• Three Senses of the Word Cause: 285
• Causation in History: 290
• Causation in Practical Natural Science: 296
• Causation in Theoretical Natural Science: 313
• Causation in Kantian Philosophy: 328
• Epilogue 338: 338
• ENDNOTES 344: 344
• THE NATURE OF METAPHYSICAL STUDY 1934: 356
• FUNCTION OF METAPHYSICS IN CIVILIZATION: 379
• NOTES FOR AN ESSAY ON LOGIC 1939: 422
• INDEX: 429

About the author

The Late R. G. Collingwood was Waynflete Professor of Metaphysical Philosophy at the University of Oxford from 1935 to 1941.

Bibliographic information

• Title: An Essay on Metaphysics
• Authors: R. G. Collingwood, Robin George Collingwood
• Editor: Rex Martin
• Contributor: Rex Martin
• Edition: illustrated, revised
• Publisher: Clarendon Press, 2001
• ISBN: 0199241414, 9780199241415
• Length: 439 pages
• Subjects: Philosophy / History & Surveys / General