Lexington Books
Pages: 134
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
978-0-7391-7002-1 • Hardback • August 2012 • $113.00 • (£87.00)
Jason Waller is an assistant professor of philosophy at Eastern Illinois University. He has recently published articles on Spinoza in the British Journal for the History of Philosophy, Journal of Philosophical Research, and Iyyun: The Jerusalem Philosophical Quarterly among others. He works primarily on Modern Philosophy, Metaphysics, and Political Philosophy.
Chapter One: Spinoza and the Problem of Persistence
Chapter Two: The Infinite Intellect and the Case for Eternalism
Chapter Three: Human Perception and the Illusion of Temporal Passage
Chapter Four: Conatus and a Temporal Parts Metaphysic
Chapter Five: The 3D/4D Tension in Spinoza’s Metaphysics
Chapter Six: The Persistence of Bodies
Persistence Through Time in Spinoza is a tough-minded and gracefully-written discussion of some of Spinoza’s most enduring metaphysical insights into the nature of time, material constitution, and temporal continuity. Fully conversant with contemporary literature on space and time, Jason Waller is able to tease out of Spinoza’s texts issues of abiding philosophical concern.— Daniel H. Frank, Purdue University
Waller’s book is a terrific discussion of the relation between bodies and time in Spinoza’s metaphysics. He insightfully synthesizes historical understanding with recent work in metaphysics and philosophy of science. The resulting argument hangs together as a clever, cohesive, persuasive whole.— Michael Jacovides, Purdue University
Situating Spinoza’s metaphysics within a contemporary framework, Waller deftly makes a case for the bold thesis that Spinoza is committed to a 4D conception of bodies. One of the chief virtues of Waller’s book is its admirably clear presentation of some central but thorny features of Spinoza’s thought. More generally speaking, I think Waller’s book is a great example of how the right author can, without sacrificing scholarly sophistication, make difficult and technical elements of a philosopher’s system accessible to a wide audience. I highly recommend it.— Thaddeus Robinson, Muhlenberg College