The preceding volumes in this series--devoted respectively to Person and Nature, Person and Society and Person and God1 --progressively delineated the basic issues of human and, indeed, of all existence. They took work on these issues beyond the horizon of the physical and social sciences, as well as beyond such philosophical methods as those of pragmatism and positivism. In this process the questions raised regarding the method of metaphysics--not unknown to Aristotle and Kant--were seen to be in urgent need of attention: Is metaphysics a discipline; if so, what are its requirements; and how can these be met? Answers to such questions are needed in order that metaphysics be able effectively to assimilate recent developments in human reflection, to evolve a rigor and insight in proportion to its task, and to plan its research agenda for the proximate future.