Monadologies

According to the received view, Kant’s critical revolution put an end to the kind of metaphysics of which Leibniz’s ‘Monadology’ is the example par excellence. This volume challenges Kant’s claim by providing a far more nuanced version of philosophy’s ‘post-Kantian’ tradition that spans from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century and brings to light a rich tradition of new ‘monadologists’, many of whom have been unjustifiably forgotten by contemporary historians of philosophy. Through this complex dialogue, monadology is shown to be a remarkably fecund hypothesis, with many possible variations and developments. The volume’s focus on monadology exposes the depth and breadth of the post-Kantian period in an original and previously unexplored way and opens up numerous avenues for future research. Crucially, however, this volume not only shows that monadological metaphysics did continue after Kant but also asks the critical question of whether it should have done so. Consequently, the question of whether monadological metaphysics could also have a future is shown to be relevant in a way that was previously almost inconceivable. This book was originally published as a special issue of the British Journal for the History of Philosophy.

The Monadology (French: La Monadologie, 1714) is one of Gottfried Leibniz's best known works representing his later philosophy. It is a short text which sketches in some 90 paragraphs a metaphysics of simple substances, or monads. In it, he offers a new solution to mind and matter interaction by means of a pre-established harmony expressed as the 'Best of all possible worlds' form of optimism.

Lloyd Strickland presents a new translation of the 'Monadology', alongside key parts of the 'Theodicy', and an in-depth, section-by-section commentary that explains in detail not just what Leibniz is saying in the text but also why he says it.

This book reconstructs, from both historical and theoretical points of view, Leibniz’s geometrical studies, focusing in particular on the research Leibniz carried out in his final years. The work’s main purpose is to offer a better understanding of the philosophy of space and in general of the mature Leibnizean metaphysics. This is the first ever, comprehensive historical reconstruction of Leibniz’s geometry.

Leibniz is a major figure in western philosophy and, with Descartes and Spinoza, one of the most influential philosophers of the Rationalist School. The Monadology is his most famous work and one of the most important works of modern philosophy. Leibniz and the Monadology introduces and assesses: *Leibniz's life and the background to the Monadology *the ideas and text of the Monadology*Leibniz's continuing importance to philosophy Leibniz and the Monadology is ideal for anyone coming to Leibniz for the first time. It also includes the text of the Monadology, specially translated for this GuideBook by Anthony Savile.

G.W. Leibniz's Monadology , one of the most important pieces of the Leibniz corpus, is at once one of the great classics of modern philosophy and one of its most puzzling productions. Because the essay is written in so condensed and compact a fashion, for almost three centuries it has baffled and beguiled those who have read it for the first time. Nicholas Rescher accompanies the text of the Monadology section-by-section with relevant excerpts from other Leibnizian writings. Using these brief sections as an outline, Rescher collects together some of Leibniz's widely scattered discussions of the matters at issue. The result serves a dual purpose of providing a commentary on the Monadology by Leibniz himself, while at the same time supplying an exposition of his philosophy using the Monadology as an outline.

The impact of the work of German mathematician GOTTFRIED WILHELM LEIBNIZ (1646-1716) on modern science and technology is all but incalculable. His notation for infinitesimal calculus-which he developed independently of Newton-remains in use today, and his invention of binary counting is the basis for modern computing. He was a powerfully influential philosopher as well, and is still considered, alongside Descartes and Spinoza, one of the great 17th-century rationalists. Because much of Leibniz's thinking in the realm of the sciences flowed from his philosophy, understanding how he approached the natural world and humanity's place in it is vital to understanding his contributions to modern science. This edition collects two of Leibniz's foundational works, "Discourse on Metaphysics" and "The Monadology," which expound on concepts of philosophical "optimism"-that we live in the best of all possible worlds-and consequently features Leibniz's thoughts on the nature of physical matter. This classic work will intrigue all students of science and philosophy.