Description
Leibniz Re-interpreted tackles head on the central idea in Leibniz's philosophy, namely that we live in the best of all possible worlds. Strickland argues that Leibniz's theory has been consistently misunderstood by previous commentators. In the process Strickland provides both an elucidation and reinterpretation of a number of concepts central to Leibniz's work, such as "richness", "simplicity", "harmony" and "incompossibility", and shows where previous attempts to explain these concepts have failed. Thus the book provides an unignorable reinterpretation of many of the core themes of Leibniz's philosophy.
This clear and concise study is tightly focussed and assumes no prior acquaintance with Leibniz or optimism. It thus serves as an ideal entry point into Leibniz's philosophy.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: The grounds for optimism
Chapter 3: The perfection of things
Chapter 4: The perfection of worlds I: Richness
Chapter 5: The perfection of worlds II: Simplicity
Chapter 6: The harmony of things
Chapter 7: Does the world increase in perfection?
Chapter 8: Conflicts and evils
Chapter 9: Conclusion: how to make the best of all possible worlds
References
Index
Author(s)
Lloyd Strickland, Lloyd Strickland teaches philosophy at Lancaster University, UK. Heb also runs a highly successful website devoted to Leibniz. His publications include articles in the British Journal for the History of Philosophy, the Journal of Value Inquiry, and Ars Disputandi.
Reviews
Title summary in Chronicle of Higher Education, June 2006,
'a fitting introduction for the reader unfamiliar with Leibniz's optimism.'
~ Laurence Carlin, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, February 2007
Laurence Carlin, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh,
"Strickland has trawled through all of the works available so far and given the best account to date; writing with verve and polish, he makes it a thoroughly enjoyable experience." -Patrick Madigan, Heythrop Journal, March 2009
Patrick Madigan,