This book is an introduction to metaphysics and it presupposes no previous acquaintance with philosophy. Updates include extensive rewriting of the chapter on time, enhanced clarity throughout the text, updated notes and suggested reading throughout.

Peter van Inwagen is the John Cardinal O'Hara Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame and research professor of Philosophy at Duke University. He is the author of An Essay on Free Will (1983), Material Beings (1990), Being: A Study in Ontology (2022), and seven other books. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Gifford Lecturer, and the recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of St Andrews.