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.

About the Author
Donald Rutherford is Professor of Philosophy at University of California, San Diego. J. A. Cover is Professor of Philosophy at Purdue University.

Reviews
This collection offers both historical erudition and conceptual elucidation...with a most helpful editorial introduction to Leibniz's system, the essays are of high quality...A particularly excellent essay, for its thematic focus and clarity, is the one by editor Rutherford. * Choice *



Book Information
ISBN 9780195143751
Author Donald Rutherford
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 399g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 164mm * 16mm