The Cambridge Companion to Leibniz (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy)

A remarkable thinker, Gottfried Leibniz made fundamental contributions not only to philosophy, but also to the development of modern mathematics and science. At the center of Leibniz's philosophy stands his metaphysics, an ambitious attempt to discover the nature of reality through the use of unaided reason. This volume provides a systematic and comprehensive account of the full range of Leibniz's thought, exploring the metaphysics in detail and showing its subtle and complex relationship to his views on logic, language, physics, and theology. The Most Comprehensive Account Of The Full Range Of Leibniz's Thought. Introduction / Nicholas Jolley -- G. W. Leibniz, Life And Works / Roger Ariew -- The Seventeenth-century Intellectual Background / Stuart Brown -- Metaphysics : The Early Period To The Discourse On Metaphysics / Christia Mercer And R. C. Sleigh, Jr. -- Metaphysics : The Late Period / Donald Rutherford -- The Theory Of Knowledge / Robert Mcrae -- Philosophy And Logic / G. H. R. Parkinson -- Philosphy And Language In Leibniz / Donald Rutherford -- Leibniz : Physics And Philosophy / Daniel Garber -- Leibniz's Ontological And Cosmological Arguments / David Blumenfeld -- Perfection And Happiness In The Best Possible World / David Blumenfeld -- Leibniz's Moral Philosophy / Gregory Brown -- The Reception Of Leibniz In The Eighteenth Century / Catherine Wilson. Edited By Nicholas Jolley. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 475-493) And Index. Gottfried Leibniz was a remarkable thinker who made fundamental contributions not only to philosophy, but also to the development of modern mathematics and science. At the centre of Leibniz's philosophy stands his metaphysics, an ambitious attempt to discover the nature of reality through the use of unaided reason. This volume provides a systematic and comprehensive account of the full range of Leibniz's thought, exploring the metaphysics in detail and showing its subtle and complex relationship to his views on logic, language, physics, and theology. Other chapters examine the intellectual context of his thought and its reception in the eighteenth century. New readers and nonspecialists will find this the most accessible and comprehensive guide to Leibniz currently available. Advanced students and specialists will find a conspectus of recent developments in the interpretation of Leibniz This is a further volume in a series of companions to major philosophies. Each volume contains specially commissioned essays by an international team of scholars together with a substantial bibliography, and will serve as a reference work for students and non-specialists. One aim of the series is to dispel the intimidation that readers may feel when faced with the work of a difficult and challenging thinker. 1.pdf......Page 0 1......Page 13 2......Page 30 3......Page 55 4......Page 79 5......Page 136 6......Page 188 7......Page 211 8......Page 236 9......Page 282 10......Page 365 11......Page 394 12......Page 423 13......Page 454 14......Page 487