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Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) was hailed by Bertrand Russell as 'one of the supreme intellects of all time'. A towering figure in seventeenth-century philosophy, his complex thought has been championed and satirized in equal measure, most famously in Voltaire's Candide. In this outstanding introduction to his philosophy, Nicholas Jolley introduces and assesses the whole of Leibniz's philosophy. Beginning with an introduction to Leibniz's life and work, he carefully introduces the show more core elements of Leibniz's metaphysics: his theories of substance, identity and individuation; monads and space and time; and his important debate over the nature of space and time with Newton's champion, Samuel Clarke. He then introduces Leibniz's theories of mind, knowledge, and innate ideas, showing how Leibniz anticipated the distinction between conscious and unconscious states, before examining his theory of free will and the problem of evil. An important feature of the book is its introduction to Leibniz's moral and political philosophy, an overlooked aspect of his work. The final chapter assesses legacy and the impact of his philosophy on philosophy as a whole, particularly on the work of Immanuel Kant. Throughout, Nicholas Jolley places Leibniz in relation to some of the other great philosophers, such as Descartes, Spinoza and Locke, and discusses Leibniz's key works, such as the Monadology and Discourse on Metaphysics. show less

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Author Information

9+ Works 355 Members
Nicholas Jolley is Professor Emeritus, University of California, Irvine, USA.

Series

Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Leibniz
People/Characters
Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz
Blurbers
Chappell, Vere; Hartz, Glenn; Woolhouse, Roger; Look, Brandon C.

Classifications

Genres
Philosophy, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Biography & Memoir, History
DDC/MDS
193Philosophy & psychologyModern western philosophyPhilosophy of Germany and Austria
LCC
B2598 .J57Philosophy, Psychology and ReligionPhilosophy (General)By periodModernBy region or country
BISAC

Statistics

Members
87
Popularity
366,518
Rating
½ (3.50)
Languages
English, Turkish
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
11
ASINs
2