Contents in Detail

List of Diagrams xvii

Preface xix

Acknowledgments xxi

Part 1 Metaphysics: Nonsense or Wisdom?

Chapter 1 The Problem of the Unification of Knowledge 3

A. The Information Explosion and Interdisciplinarity 31. The Fragmentation of Knowledge Today 32. Interculturality and Contextualization 4

B. The Common Human Search for Meaning 51. Older Worldviews 52. The Global Expansion of Science and Technology 12

C. The Conditions of Effective Intercultural Dialogue 15D. The Modern University as Wisdom’s Home 19

Chapter 2 The Historical Varieties of “Metaphysics” in Western Culture 22

A. The Unification of Knowledge by One Material or Spiritual Principle 22

B. The Unification of Knowledge by Coordinating AutonomousDisciplines 27

C. Medieval and Renaissance “Metaphysics” 31D. Modernity and Metaphysics 32

1. Cartesian and Idealist Metaphysics 322. British Empiricism 343. Kant and the Post-Kantian Critique 364. The Varieties of Thomistic Metaphysics 44

a. Essentialist Thomism 46b. Platonizing Thomism 47

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c. Transcendental Thomism 48d. Existential Thomism 49e. Phenomenological Thomism 51f. Analytic Thomism 51g. Semiotic Thomism 51h. Aristotelian Thomism 53

E. Postmodernism and Metaphysics 55

Chapter 3 Natural Science Is Epistemologically First 61

A. The Logical Structure of Any Discipline 611. Every Science Has a Foundational Treatise 612. Question 1 about Existence 643. Questions 2 and 3 about Substantial Essence Known

through Properties 67B. The First Principles of Natural Science 72

1. Principle of Non-contradiction 722. Principle of Causality 733. The Fundamental Theorem of Natural Science 74

C. Questions 3 and 4 about the Causes of Properties 761. The Nine Categories of Properties of All Changeable

Beings 762. Why All Changeable Substances Have These

Nine Properties 78a. The Intrinsic Properties 79

1. Quantity 792. Quality 79

b. Relation and the Relational Properties 803. Relation 804 and 5. Action and Receptivity 816, 7, and 8. Place, Position, and Environment 839. Time 83

c. Summary 84D. Are the Aristotelian Foundations of Natural Science

Obsolete? 851. The Natural Senses vs. Instruments and Experiments 852. Scientific Universality and Individuation 873. The Scientific Revolution and the Foundations of Natural

Science 89

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Chapter 4 The Culminating Foundational Theorem of Natural Science 92

A. The Prime Movers of Systems 921. All Systems of Interacting Bodies Have Prime Movers 922. Proof that a First Immaterial Cause Exists 93

B. The Special Case of the Human Soul 101C. A Universe of Both Material and Spiritual Substances 114

1. The Existence of Contingent Pure Spirits 1142. Does Modern Science Exclude Spiritual Substances? 117

D. Natural Science Validates First Philosophy 1201. First Philosophy Presupposes All the Special Sciences 1202. Natural Science Is Not First Philosophy but Establishes

Its Ground 122E. Dialogue with Other Views of Nature 124

Chapter 5 The Existence and Essence of Metascience 132

A. The Existence and Validity of an Autonomous Metascience 132B. What Is the Proper Subject of Metascience? 133

1. The “Analogy” of Being 1332. The Descriptive Definition of the Generic Subject of

Metascience 139C. Are Other Worldviews Metascientific? 144D. Objections to the Natural Science Approach to Metascience 146

1. Thomist Objections 1462. Objections from Modern Science 163

Part 2 The Properties of All Reali ty

Chapter 6 Unity, Plurality, and Efficient Causality 173

A. The Transcendentals 173B. The Demonstration that Being as such Is One 175

1. Transcendental “Unity” and Its Contrary “Plurality” 1752. The Demonstration of Unity as Intrinsic to Every

Being 177C. Unity and Plurality of Contingent Material Beings 179

1. Substantial Unity and the Plurality of Properties 1792. The Unity of a Species and the Individuation of Its

Members 186

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D. The Unity of Contingent Spiritual Substances 1881. The Embodied Human Spirit 1882. The Hierarchy of Contingent Pure Spirits 192

a. The Community of Spirits 192b. The Unity of the Spiritual and Material Realms 196

E. Unity, Plurality, and Efficient Causality 198

Chapter 7 Unity and Plurality in Other Sciences 201

A. Unity and Plurality in Mathematics 2011. Natural Science and Mathematics 2012. Ancient Mathematics 2033. Modern Mathematics 205

B. Mathematical Physics and Cosmic Unity and Diversity 218C. Unity and Plurality in Ethics and Politics 226

1. The Unity of the Virtues 2262. Persons in Community 228

D. Unity and Plurality in Technologies and Fine Arts 231

Chapter 8 Truth and Formal Causality 234

A. The Varieties of Truth 2341. Logical and Ontological Truth 2342. The Sources of Truth 239

a. Styles of Human Reasoning 239b. Faith and Revelation 241c. Mystical Experience 242

B. Epistemology 2451. Skepticism and Sophism 2452. Idealism’s Answer to Skepticism 2473. Empiricism’s Answer to Skepticism 2494. Aristotelian Thomism’s Answer to Skepticism 2555. Personalism and Thomism 265

C. Formal Causality and Participation 267

Chapter 9 Truth in the Special Sciences 277

A. Scientific Logic 2771. Aristotelian Logic 277

a. The Kinds of Logic 277b. The Scientific Syllogism 278

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c. Premises, Their Terms, and Definitions 281d. Univocal, Equivocal, Metaphorical, and Analogical

Terms 284e. Judgment, Dialectics, and Scientific Demonstration 288f. The Distinction of Metascience from Logic 291g. Semiotics 296

2. Logic in Indian and Chinese Cultures 2973. Modern Logic 299

B. Informal Logic 304C. Truth in Natural Science and Mathematics 309D. Truth in the Practical Sciences 314E. Truth in History 315

Chapter 10 Goodness and Final Causality 322

A. Finality, the Causes of Causes 3221. Finality and the Other Causes 3222. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Finality 325

B. Beauty as a Transcendental 3261. The Concept of Beauty 3262. Physical Beauty 3283. Spiritual Beauty 329

C. Dialogue with the Aesthetics of Other Cultures 330D. The Problem of Evil 334E. Love 338

Chapter 11 Finality in the Special Sciences 343

A. Teleology in Natural Science 343B. Teleology in Mathematics 346C. Means and Ends in the Practical Sciences 347

1. Deontology and Teleology in Individual Ethics 3472. Revisions of Thomistic Ethics 3573. Teleology in Social Ethics 3664. Teleology in Technology and Ecology 371

D. Teleology in the Fine Arts 372E. Dialogue with the Ethics of Other Cultures 375F. Final Causality and the Coordination of

Knowledge 379

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Part 3 The First Cause or Absolute Principle of Being

Chapter 12 The Absolute and/or Nature 385

A. The Monistic View of the Supreme Principle 3851. Monism and Monotheism 3852. Materialistic or Nature Monism 3863. Process Philosophy Monism 3874. Spiritual Monism 389

a. Monism in the Traditional Religions and Occultism 389

b. Neoplatonism 392c. Indian, Chinese, and Japanese Monism 394

B. Critique of Monism 397

Chapter 13 The One Creating First Cause 403

A. Monotheism 4031. The Existence of a Creator 4032. The Divine Essence 406

B. The Divine Attributes 4091. The Plenitude of the First Cause 4092. The First Cause Is Personal 412

C. God and Creation 4211. The Triple Causality of God as First Cause 4212. The Extrinsic Formal Causality that Is

Exemplarity 4223. The Hierarchy of Creatures 428

Part 4 Wisdom, Human and Divine

Chapter 14 The Way toward Wisdom 433

A. Unified and Open Education 4331. Education in the Family 4332. Liberal Arts Education 4343. Higher General Education 4394. Professional Education 4435. Continuing Education 445

B. Summary: Dialogue in the Search for Wisdom 446

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Appendix 1 Outline of Aristotle’s Metaphysics 452

Appendix 2 Natural Substances and Their Properties 454

Notes 459

Bibliography 530

Index 577

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