In Metaphysical Themes, 1274 –1671, Professor Pasnau traces developments in metaphysical thinking through four centuries of philosophy, from the 13th into the 17th century. He begins with the later Middle Ages, which, with the possible exception of modern times, was the period when metaphysical issues received the most sustained attention by philosophers. He concludes with the 17th century, which marked the remarkably swift and complete collapse of the scholastic philosophical tradition, an unprecedented event in the history of philosophy. Professor Pasnau’s study begins with the first challenges to the classical scholasticism of Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas, considers the contributions of prominent philosophers like John Duns Scotus and William of Ockham and concludes with developments in post-scholastic philosophy in the 17th century. Working mainly in the areas of mind and knowledge, Professor Pasnau has conducted research on philosophical thought from the Presocratics to contemporary approaches. Currently, his research is focused on the late scholastic and early modern era. Professor Pasnau is editor of the Hackett Aquinas and the Cambridge History of Medieval Philosophy. An earlier book, Thomas Aquinas on Human Nature, won the American Philosophical Association Book Prize in 2005.
