Neo-Aristotelian Metaphysics and the Theology of Nature

Prologue

John Marenbon

Introduction: Reflections on science, theology and the new Aristotelianism

1. From Quantum Physics to Classical Metaphysics

William M. R. Simpson

2. Essential Thermochemical Powers

Robert C. Koons

3. Restoring the Hierarchy of Being

David Oderberg

4. Evolution and the Principle of Proportionality

Stephen Boulter

Part II: Mind and Nature

5. Free Will in a Network of Powers

Timothy O’Connor

6. Animal Powers and Human Agency

Janice Chik

7. The Power to Perform Experiments

Daniel De Haan

8. Logical and Mathematical Powers

Antonio Ramos-Diaz

9. Persons, Souls and Life After Death

Christopher Hauser

10. Angels, Principalities and Powers

Travis Dumsday

Part III: God and Nature

11. Grounding and Participation in God

Ross Inman

12. God and Hylomorphism

Anne Peterson

13. Natural and Supernatural

Edward Feser

14. God, Chance and Evolution

Alexander Pruss

15. Teleology, Providence and Powers

Simon Kopf

16. Divine Lawmaking: Powers and Kinds

Epilogue

Biography

William M.R.Simpson is Junior Research Fellow at Wolfson College, Cambridge and an honorary research fellow in the philosophy of nature at the University of St Andrews. He is the author of Surprises in Theoretical Casimir Physics (2014) and the co-editor, with Robert C. Koons and Nicholas J. Teh, of Neo-Aristotelian Perspectives on Contemporary Science (Routledge, 2017).

Robert C. Koons is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. He is co-editor, with George Bealer, of The Waning of Materialism: New Essays in the Philosophy of Mind (2010) and, with William M.R.Simpson and Nicholas J. Teh of Neo-Aristotelian Perspectives on Contemporary Science (Routledge, 2017). He is also the co-author of Metaphysics: The Fundamentals (2015).

James Orr is University Lecturer in Philosophy of Religion at the University of Cambridge, and formerly the McDonald Postdoctoral Fellow in Theology, Ethics, and Public Life at Christ Church, Oxford. He is a trustee of St. Paul’s Theological Centre, London, and a member of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s advisory group, the Lambeth Partnership.

"This book offers a fresh, bold, stimulating take on some of the hardest questions philosophers and theologians alike are engaged with, arguing that only a metaphysics developed on the basis of the Abrahamic-Aristotelian tradition can enable us to understand today’s world of science, the relation of God to it, and our place within it. A hugely enjoyable read – even for those who will find themselves in disagreement." -- Prof. Anna Marmodoro, Professor of Metaphysics, Durham, UK.

"Neo-Aristotelianism is one of the important movements in contemporary metaphysics: this collection provides a wide-ranging sample of the state of the art from its outstanding exponents and shows how it can also be an important force in theology." -- Prof. John Marenbon, Professor of Medieval Philosophy, Cambridge, UK.

"While scholasticism has been on the margins of Christian theology for some decades, this volume suggests the possibility of a powerful and fruitful intellectual revival. The talented authors of this conceptually well-organized volume orchestrate the use of scholastic principles to analyze some of the most important and difficult questions in contemporary theology, with both clarity and depth. In doing so they delineate a compelling vision of harmony between revealed theology, philosophy, and modern science. A wonderful book!" -- Prof. Thomas Joseph White, OP, Rector Magnificus of the Pontifical University of St Thomas, Angelicum, Rome, Italy.

"Despite its long neglect in mainstream philosophy of science, neo-Aristotelian metaphysics has enormously interesting and creative applications for contemporary science, as this new collection of essays amply demonstrates. But perhaps even more importantly, the question of God can then be manoeuvred back into contestation in a way occluded or outlawed by other metaphysical alternatives. This important new book brings together senior and junior scholars to help carve a new trajectory through long-disputed territory." -- Prof. Sarah Coakley, FBA, Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity Emerita, University of Cambridge, and Honorary Fellow, Oriel College, Oxford, UK .

"When the Scientific Revolutionaries of the seventeenth century left their Aristotelian homeland for a far country, little did they realise that their distant descendants might need to return one day. I have heard much whispered about the promise of neo-Aristotelianism for the science-and-theology enterprise, but until seeing this volume had never been able to grasp the vision. This book will surely be an indispensible guide for years to come, providing lucid overviews of contemporary historical, philosophical, scientific and theological perspectives on neo-Aristotelianism, as well as much original research looking forward." – Prof. Mark Harris, Professor of Natural Science and Theology, Edinburgh, UK.