Neo-Aristotelian Metaphysics and the Theology of Nature

This book explores the relationship between a scientifically updated Aristotelian philosophy of nature and a scientifically engaged theology of nature.It features original contributions by some of the best scholars engaging with Aristotelianism in contemporary metaphysics, philosophy of science, and philosophical theology. Despite the growing interest in Aristotelian approaches to contemporary philosophy of science, few metaphysicians have engaged directly with the question of how a neo-Aristotelian metaphysics of nature might change the landscape for theological discussion concerning theology and naturalism, the place of human beings within nature, or the problem of divine causality. The chapters in this volume are collected into three thematic sections: Naturalism and Nature, Mind and Nature, and God and Nature. By pushing the current boundaries of neo-Aristotelian metaphysics to recover the traditional notion of substantial forms in physics, reframe the principle of proportionality in biology, and restore the hierarchy of being familiar to ancient philosophy, this book advances a metaphysically unified framework that accommodates both scientific and theological knowledge, enriching the interaction between science, philosophy and theology. Neo-Aristotelian Metaphysics and the Theology of Nature will be of interest to scholars and advanced students working in metaphysics, philosophy of science, natural theology, philosophical theology, and analytic theology.

Prologue John Marenbon Introduction: Reflections on science, theology and the new Aristotelianism William M. R. Simpson, Robert C. Koons, and James Orr Part I: Naturalism and Nature 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 James Orr Epilogue Anna Marmodoro

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.