The 13 essays Davies (Univ. of Bergamo, Italy) has gathered discuss problems arising from the distinction between natural and nonnatural objects and between languagethe supreme human artifactand language-indifferent nature Summing Up: Recommended. Researchers and faculty. * CHOICE * When philosophers deal with ontology, they still turn their attentions primarily to ideal worlds constructed out of sets, or bare particulars, or atomless gunk. Outside philosophy, in contrast, ontology is being vigorously applied to real-world problems in areas such as genomics, engineering design, materials science or geopolitics. This groundbreaking volume is the first major study of the philosophical issues brought to light by this new applied ontology. It will be an indispensable resource for the work that is to come. * Barry Smith, Director of National Center for Ontological Research, State University of New York at Buffalo, USA * Everybody agrees: there is a big difference between the natural and the artifactual, between the mind-independent features of reality and the products of our worldmaking practices. The challenge, as the essays in this book admirably show, is where to draw the line, and how to do so without begging the question. A rich, engaging, highly original contribution to the classical debate between metaphysical realism and constructivism. * Achille C. Varzi, Professor of Philosophy, Columbia University, USA *