Review of Ivor Leclerc, The Nature of Physical Existence

The Nature Of Physical Existence by Ivor Leclerc

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ivor Leclerc was for many years Professor of Philosophy at Emory University. The Nature of Physical Existence is a masterful account of the problems of substance, matter, and the continuum from the time of the ancient Greeks to the contemporary metaphysical system of Alfred North Whitehead. Leclerc thoroughly knows the tradition of the philosophy of nature, and the reader will discover new insights into the work of Descartes, Leibniz, and Kant. Leclerc's attention to the precritical writings of Kant alerts the reader to a side of Kant with which most contemporary philosophers are not familiar. Leclerc turns out to be an Aristotelian modified by some of the insights of Whitehead. He is fair to the tradition he critiques and points out that a revitalized philosophy of nature can close the gap between philosophy and science that began with the post-Enlightenment modern world view. I highly recommend this book to advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and scholars interested in the philosophy of nature and in metaphysics.



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