Description: This book is the first book-length study of the nature of time and persistence in Spinoza. It will be of interest to anyone interested in Modern Philosophy or Metaphysics.
Brief description: Jason Waller is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, USA. He specializes in Modern Philosophy, Political Philosophy, and Metaphysics. Dr. Waller is the co-author of a book with Daniel Frank on Spinoza's political philosophy (Routledge 2012) and has published articles in the British Journal for the History of Philosophy, Analysis and Metaphysics, Linguistic and Philosophical Investigations.
Review Quotes:
"Persistence Through Time in Spinoza is a tough-minded and gracefully-written discussion of some of Spinoza's most enduring metaphysical insights into the nature of time, material constitution, and temporal continuity. Fully conversant with contemporary literature on space and time, Jason Waller is able to tease out of Spinoza's texts issues of abiding philosophical concern." --Daniel H. Frank, Purdue University
"Waller's book is a terrific discussion of the relation between bodies and time in Spinoza's metaphysics. He insightfully synthesizes historical understanding with recent work in metaphysics and philosophy of science. The resulting argument hangs together as a clever, cohesive, persuasive whole." --Michael Jacovides, Purdue University "Situating Spinoza's metaphysics within a contemporary framework, Waller deftly makes a case for the bold thesis that Spinoza is committed to a 4D conception of bodies. One of the chief virtues of Waller's book is its admirably clear presentation of some central but thorny features of Spinoza's thought. More generally speaking, I think Waller's book is a great example of how the right author can, without sacrificing scholarly sophistication, make difficult and technical elements of a philosopher's system accessible to a wide audience. I highly recommend it." --Thaddeus Robinson, Muhlenberg College