Two Metaphysical Naturalisms

Reviews / Votes

A work of loving students for their teachers: a tale of the mission by dedicated mid-twentieth century professors at Columbia University to rescue Aristotle for modern readers, with insights on human nature, human knowledge, and the literary transmission of philosophy. -- James A. Arieti, Hampden-Sydney College This book is an indispensable resource for understanding both Aristotle and American naturalism as developed by Justus Buchler. Victorino Tejera and his editor have given us a much needed and illuminating commentary on Aristotle's Metaphysics that frees it from overly transcendental and theological interpretations by drawing on Buchler's radically pluralistic concepts of natural complexes and ontological parity -- Gary Shapiro, Tucker-Boatwright Professor in the Humanities-Philosophy, University of Richmond Two Metaphysical Naturalisms: Aristotle and Justus Buchler is an important scholarly contribution to both Aristotle studies and an often-neglected strain of American philosophy, "Columbia naturalism". Tejera convincingly demonstrates important philosophical connections between these fields of scholarship and his detailed treatment of Aristotle's texts, especially those that have come down to us as the Metaphysics, is an exemplar of careful textual analysis, sensitive to both the Greek language of its time and the philosophical debates that swirled around the master in the decades following his death. We are privileged to find in this volume a fine treatment of Justus Buchler, as well, and Tejera's work will be an important addition to the literature. -- Armen T. Marsoobian, Southern Connecticut State University