Leibniz: Nature and FreedomDonald Rutherford, J. A. Cover The revival of Leibniz studies in the past twenty-five years has cast important new light on both the context and content of Leibniz's philosophical thought. Where earlier English-language scholarship understood Leibniz's philosophy as issuing from his preoccupations with logic and language, recent work has recommended an account on which theological, ethical, and metaphysical themes figure centrally in Leibniz's thought throughout his career. The significance of these themes to the development of Leibniz's philosophy is the subject of increasing attention by philosophers and historians. This collection of new essays by a distinguished group of scholars offers an up-to-date overview of the current state of Leibniz research. In focusing on nature and freedom, the volume revisits two key topics in Leibniz's thought, on which he engaged both contemporary and historical arguments. Important contributions to Leibniz scholarship in their own right, these articles collectively provide readers a framework in which to better situate Leibniz's distinctive philosophy of nature and the congenial home for a morally significant freedom that he took it to provide. |
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
The Possibility of Monism or Pantheism in the Young Leibniz | 20 |
2 Leibniz and Sleigh on Substantial Unity | 44 |
3 Leibniz on Precise Shapes and the Corporeal World | 69 |
4 Leibniz and Idealism | 95 |
5 Compossibility Expression Accommodation | 108 |
6 Leibniz and Occasionalism | 121 |
7 Leibnizs Two Realms | 135 |
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Common terms and phrases
According to Leibniz account of freedom action active Adams agent spontaneity aggregate akrasia appears appetitions argued argument Arnauld attributes body Cartesian causal powers choice claim compatibilists compossible conception contingency corporeal substance creatures critique Descartes determined Discourse on Metaphysics discussion divine doctrine entity essay essence example existence explain expression external final causes finite follows force God’s Grua human idea identity individual substance infinite intellect law of desire laws of nature Leibniz writes Leibniz’s account Leibniz’s view Leibnizian libertarian Malebranche matter Mercer metaphysical necessity mind modal Molinist monadic spontaneity Monadology monism moral necessity motion necessitarian necessitated object occasionalists one’s pantheism passage passions passive principle perception philosophical precise shapes question reason relation requisites Rutherford seems self-sufficiency sense simple substances Sleigh sort soul soul’s Spinoza Sua´rez substantial unity sufficient suggests teleological texts Theodicy theory thesis things thought true truth truthmaker understanding universe volition WFPT