Abstract

This book begins by differentiating metaphysical entities from first-order entities for the knowledge of which some initial empirical encounter is required. Metaphysical "entities" belong to the class of entities which come into being because people decide to think in terms of them and talk about them. If talk about them desisted, metaphysical entities would themselves cease to exist. The three pivotal metaphysical entities that Sprague considers in this book are the person, world, and God.