Leibniz

Omtale

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (16461716) was hailed by BertrandRussell as one of the supreme intellects of all time. A towering figurein seventeenth-century philosophy, he was the author of a complexsystem of thought that has been championed and satirized inequal measure, most famously in Voltaires Candide.In this outstanding introduction to his philosophy, Nicholas Jolley examinesand assesses the whole of Leibnizs philosophy. Beginning withan account of Leibnizs life and work, he carefully explains the core elementsof Leibnizs metaphysics: his theories of substance, identity andindividuation; his doctrine of monads; and his important debate overthe nature of space and time with Newtons champion, Samuel Clarke.He then introduces Leibnizs theories of mind, knowledge, and innateideas, showing how Leibniz anticipated the distinction betweenconscious and unconscious states, before examining his doctrine offree will and his solution to the problem of evil. An important featureof the book is its survey of Leibnizs moral and political philosophy,an overlooked aspect of his work.The final chapter assesses Leibnizs legacy and the impact of his philosophyon philosophy as a whole, particularly on the work of ImmanuelKant. Throughout, Jolley places Leibniz in relation to some of the othergreat philosophers, such as Descartes, Spinoza, and Locke, and discussesLeibnizskey works, such as the Monadology and Discourse on Metaphysics.This second edition has been revised throughout and includes anew chapter on Leibniz and philosophy of language.