This survey of metaphysics covers the historical or classical aspects of the subject as well as those currently in the post-Wittgensteinian limelight - principally materialism, Platonism, essentialism and anti-realism. The author regards contemporary metaphysical preoccupations very much as more or less thinly disguised revisitings of those of the past, thus finds an account that ranges freely through the history of the subject is a natural one to adopt. Professor Benardete also explains how metaphysics and mathematical logic are interrelated and shows how metaphysical studies can illuminate the humanities as well as the sciences.