In an effort to retrieve metaphysics and reveal its theological nature, Pabst (politics, U. of Kent, Britain) shows how ancient and modern conceptions of being in terms of individual substance fail to account for the irreducible, ontological relations that bind immanent, finite beings to each other and to their transcendent, infinite source in God. He rejects abstract views of individuality, and argues that a thing's unique form is both existentially and essentially its metaphysical positioning in relation to other things. The relational ordering of all things takes priority over substance, he says, and all relations originate in relation to God. Annotation 2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
