Leibniz

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (16461716) was hailed by Bertrand Russell as one of the supreme intellects of all time. A towering figure in seventeenth-century philosophy, he was the author of a complex system of thought that has been championed and satirized in equal measure, most famously in Voltaires Candide. In this outstanding introduction to his philosophy, Nicholas Jolley examines and assesses the whole of Leibnizs philosophy. Beginning with an account of Leibnizs life and work, he carefully explains the core elements of Leibnizs metaphysics: his theories of substance, identity and individuation; his doctrine of monads; and his important debate over the nature of space and time with Newtons champion, Samuel Clarke. He then introduces Leibnizs theories of mind, knowledge, and innate ideas, showing how Leibniz anticipated the distinction between conscious and unconscious states, before examining his doctrine of free will and his solution to the problem of evil. An important feature of 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 philosophy on philosophy as a whole, particularly on the work of Immanuel Kant. Throughout, Jolley places Leibniz in relation to some of the other great philosophers, such as Descartes, Spinoza, and Locke, and discusses Leibnizs key works, such as the Monadology and Discourse on Metaphysics. This second edition has been revised throughout and includes a new chapter on Leibniz and philosophy of language.