Aims – A Brief Metaphysics for Today

“This is a very engaging exploration into a philosophical terrain where few nowadays care to venture, one that has been subjected to much deconstruction in recent times. . . . Even if we do not always agree with where Felt wants to take us in this onto-teleology, as we read the book we cannot help but get engaged in the unassuming and rigorous exploration that it presents as a result of a long life of reflecting and teaching this difficult subject. We should be thankful for the publication of such a good model for teaching metaphysics as we learn it and for learning metaphysics as we teach it.” —Philosophy Reviews

“This book lives up to its title. It is brief, and it presents a metaphysics that, although influenced in fundamental ways by Aquinas, is made contemporary by the contributions of Whitehead and by the author's highly original efforts to bring about a synthesis between the two.” —Catholic Library World

“The notion of teleology is deeply embedded in the origins of Western philosophy as exemplified by Aristotelian philosophy. James W. Felt’s book, entitled Aims: A Brief Metaphysics for Today, attempts to continue this tradition by constructing a teleological, or goal-oriented, or metaphysics in a succinct and easily accessible work of philosophy. Felt draws upon the work of Aristotle, and more often on that of Aquinas and Whitehead, through a method of phenomenological interpretation. . . . Felt’s book not only provides a wealth of thought provoking phenomenological description about human experience, but it additionally raises some interesting questions about the process of philosophical investigation.” —Dialogue