What Is Metaphysics?

Currently University Professor of Islamic Studies at The George Washington University, Seyyed Hossein Nasr is one of our time’s most significant philosophers and scholars of religion. His illustrious career has been marked by the global influence of his writings across diverse fields, from Islamic philosophy, spirituality, science, and art to environmental studies and comparative religion. Among Professor Nasr’s many accolades is his inclusion in the prestigious Library of Living Philosophers under the title, The Philosophy of Seyyed Hossein Nasr (2001).

What Is Metaphysics? distills the wisdom of one of our time’s most important sages and global philosophers, highlighting with remarkable explanatory clarity both the theoretical and practical dimensions of the Sufi philosophical worldview.Mukhtar H. Ali, University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignCutting across a wide expanse of disciplines such as art, science, religion, and ethics, this book clearly demonstrates why and how metaphysics, seen as the science of the real and the real science, is unique in its ability to offer meaningful solutions to our world’s most pressing issues, from the environmental crisis to the loss of meaning in modern life.Yousef Casewit, University of Chicago Divinity School

• Table of ContentsPrefaceChapter 1. What Is the Meaning of Metaphysics and What Is Its Significance?Chapter 2. Metaphysics and the Domain of Contingency in Light of Metaphysical KnowledgeChapter 3. Some Applications of Metaphysical Principles