God and Metaphysics

This collection of seminal articles by Richard M. Gale represents the areas of philosophy to which he has made significant contributions--God, time, nonbeing, and pragmatism. His 1968 book, The Language of Time, along with his 1957 anthology, The Philosophy of Time, were instrumental in helping to stimulate philosophers to take seriously the opposition between the A- and B-theories of time. Articles that were important steps along the way to these publications are included, along with more recent work that he has done in this area. His 1976 monograph, Problems of Negation and Non-Being, appears in its entirety. This is the only book-length treatment of this topic, from both a historical and critical point of view. Of special interest is his new cosmological argument (coauthored with Alexander Pruss) that is attracting considerable critical attention in professional journals. Many of his publications in this area are included. This volume also contains many pieces that Gale published on William James and some essays on John Dewey, which give a new way of understanding his metaphysics. Some previously unpublished writings in aesthetics and the philosophy of language are also included. They deal with the problem of the perfect fake and the status of propositions. Philosophers working on these topics will profit from reading Gale's works, which are models of clarity, leavened with humor.