How did our universe come to be? Does God exist? Does time flow? What are we? Do we have free will? What is truth? Metaphysics is concerned with the nature of ourselves and the world around us. This clear and accessible introduction covers the central topics in metaphysics in a concise but comprehensive way. Brian Garrett discusses the crucial concepts and arguments of metaphysics in a highly readable manner. He addresses the following key areas of metaphysics:

• God
• Existence
• Modality
• Universals and particulars
• Facts
• Causation
• Time
• Puzzles of material constitution
• Free will & determinism
• Fatalism
• Personal identity
• Truth

This third edition has been thoroughly revised. Most chapters have new material, and there are now two chapters devoted to attacks on free will.

What is this thing called Metaphysics? contains many helpful student-friendly features. Each chapter concludes with a useful summary of the main ideas discussed, a glossary of important terms, study questions, annotated further reading, and a guide to web resources. Text boxes provide bite-sized summaries of key
concepts and major philosophers, and clear and interesting examples are used throughout.

Brian Garrett is Senior Lecturer in the School of Philosophy, RSSS, Australian National University.