Thomas Nail Books

A guidebook to living in a world that's destined to die, through a new reading of Lucretius' De Rerum Natura

"We need a new way to think about the Earth. Instead of perceiving the Earth as a static object, subject, substance, or essence in isolation from the cosmos, we need a theory that takes into account Earth's constant motion. In Theory of the Earth, Thomas Nail articulates an original process-based geological theory of the Earth that not only ushers in a new philosophy of geology, but which also offers us important lessons for understanding the Anthropocene and our possible responses to climate change"--

"Throughout the history of science and technology, objects have been understood in many ways but rarely have they been understood to play an active role in the production of knowledge. This has led to largely anthropocentric theories and histories of science, which treat nature as passive objects viewed by independent observers. Thomas Nail approaches the theory of objects historically in order to tell a completely new story in which objects themselves are the true agents of scientific knowledge. They are processes, not things. It is the first history of science and technology, from prehistory to the present, to illuminate the agency, knowledge and mobility of objects." "Nail's view of the object can be characterized as "change is the only constant" (to quote those who have gone before). Nail (Univ. of Denver) sets out to convince readers that reality is not a stable essentialist subject/object dichotomy but rather a materialist process of kinetic historical progression. (...) That said, Nail's writing style is generally approachable, so even readers not drawn to academic philosophy of science might find this an interesting read."

Focusing on the significance of motion, this work presents a compelling argument that movement is the fundamental force shaping human and natural history. Thomas Nail explores the implications of movement across various historical periods and its impact on modern life, linking diverse fields of knowledge and revealing patterns that connect different scales of reality. This contemporary philosophy serves as a synthesis of years of influential thought, offering fresh insights into the role of motion in our understanding of the world.

Human suffering, the fear of death, war, poverty, ecological destruction and social inequality: Thomas Nail shows that Lucretius proposed an ethics of motion as simple and stunning solution to these ethical problems in his first-century BC didactic poem De Rerum Natura.

Thomas Nail traces an alternative history of ancient and modern thinkers from the Bronze Age to quantum physics who share a radically different understanding of the nature of matter and motion compared to the rest of the Euro-Western tradition.