Table Of Content

Praise for the First Edition ‘…an excellent volume in the new Routledge Philosophers series. High marks are in order for its clarity, accessibility and acumen, as well as for the pace and style of its prose.’ – Samuel Levey, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews ‘…full, thoughtful, lucid and interesting, and it can be recom- mended without hesitation both to those who are new to Leibniz’s philosophy and those who are well acquainted with it.’ – G.H.R Parkinson, British Journal for the History of Philosophy ‘Jolley has done a fabulous job, and the result is perfectly suited for its intended purpose and audience. The work is very clearly written; the organization is excellent; and the coverage comprehensive.’ – Vere Chappell, University of Massachusetts, USA ‘Reading this gave me great pleasure – it is interesting, illuminating, systematic, thorough and above all pleasantly, smoothly and accessi- bly written. A splendid book.’ – Roger Woolhouse, University of York, UK ‘An excellent work. It will clearly establish itself as the best introduction to the thought of Leibniz and I would recommend it to all students wrestling with this difficult philosophy for the first time.’ – Brandon C. Look, University of Kentucky, USA Leibniz, Second Edition Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) was hailed by Bertrand Russell as ‘one of the supreme intellects of all time’. A towering fig- ure in seventeenth-century philosophy, he was the author of a com- plex system of thought that has been championed and satirized in equal measure, most famously in Voltaire’s Candide. In this outstanding introduction to his philosophy, Nicholas Jolley ex- amines and assesses the whole of Leibniz’s philosophy. Beginning with an account of Leibniz’s life and work, he carefully explains the core el- ements of Leibniz’s metaphysics: his theories of substance, identity and individuation; his doctrine of monads; 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 b etween conscious and unconscious states, before examining his doctrine of free will and his solution to the problem of evil. An important f eature of the book is its survey of Leibniz’s moral and political philosophy, an overlooked aspect of his work. The final chapter assesses Leibniz’s legacy and the impact of his philosophy on philosophy as a whole, particularly on the work of Immanuel Kant. Throughout, 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. This second edition has been revised throughout and includes a new chapter on Leibniz and philosophy of language. Nicholas Jolley is Professor Emeritus, University of California, Irvine, USA. Routledge Philosophers Edited by Brian Leiter, University of Chicago, USA Routledge Philosophers is a major series of introductions to the great Western philosophers. Each book places a major philosopher or thinker in historical context, explains and assesses their key arguments, and considers their legacy. Additional features include a chronology of major dates and events, chapter summaries, anno- tated suggestions for further reading, and a glossary of technical terms. An ideal starting point for those new to philosophy, they are also essential reading for those interested in the subject at any level. Also available: Locke Aristotle, second edition E.J. Lowe Christopher Shields Schopenhauer Kant, second edition Julian Young Paul Guyer Rousseau Hume Nicholas Dent Don Garrett Hegel Dewey Frederick Beiser Steven Fesmire Hobbes Freud, second edition A.P. Martinich Jonathan Lear Darwin Habermas Tim Lewens Kenneth Baynes Rawls Peirce Samuel Freeman Albert Atkin Spinoza Plato Michael Della Rocca Constance Meinwald Russell Plotinus Gregory Landini Eyjólfur Emilsson Wittgenstein Einstein William Child Thomas Ryckman Heidegger Merleau-Ponty, second edition John Richardson Taylor Carman Adorno Leibniz, second edition Brian O’Connor Nicholas Jolley Husserl, second edition Bergson David Woodruff Smith Mark Sinclair For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge.com/ The-Routledge-Philosophers/book-series/ROUTPHIL Nicholas Jolley Leibniz Second Edition Second Edition published 2020 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2005, 2020 Nicholas Jolley The right of Nicholas Jolley to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. [First edition published by Routledge 2005] British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Jolley, Nicholas, author. Title: Leibniz / Nicholas Jolley. Description: second edition. | New York: Routledge, 2019. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2019018725 | ISBN 9781138391338 (hardback: alk. paper) | ISBN 9781138391345 (pbk.: alk. paper) | ISBN 9780429422775 (e-book) Subjects: LCSH: Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm, Freiherr von, 1646–1716. Classification: LCC B2598 .J57 2019 | DDC 193—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019018725 ISBN: 978-1-138-39133-8 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-138-39134-5 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-429-42277-5 (ebk) Typeset in Joanna MT and Din by codeMantra Contents Acknowledgements xi Abbreviations xii Chronology xiv Introduction 1 Mirrors of God 2 The project of synthesis 6 A systematic philosopher? 8 Summary 10 One Leibniz: life and works 13 Early years 14 Hanover: position and duties 16 Discourse on Metaphysics and correspondence with Arnauld 17 The ‘New System’ 20 viii Contents Leibniz, Locke, and the New Essays on Human Understanding 21 The Essays in Theodicy 23 The Monadology and related writings 25 The Leibniz–Clarke correspondence: the quarrel with the Newtonians 26 Conclusion 28 Summary 30 Two The metaphysics of substances: unity and activity 33 Unity: the critique of Descartes 34 Activity: the critique of occasionalism 38 The logicist strategy 42 Causality and creation 50 The problem of ontology 53 Summary 57 Three The theory of monads 61 The properties of monads 62 Leibniz, Spinoza, and monads 66 The status of bodies 69 Corporeal substance and the vinculum substantiale 74 Space, time, and monads 77 Summary 82 Four Mind, knowledge, and ideas 85 The immaterial mind 85 Mind, body, and the pre-established harmony 90 The case for nativism (1): innate ideas 94 The case for nativism (2): innate knowledge 100 Dispositions and the defence of nativism 103 The case for unconscious perceptions 108 Summary 111 Contents ix Five Natural and philosophical language 114 Background 115 Natural languages 117 Philosophical language: goals 123 Philosophical language: primitive concepts and symbolism 127 Language and the philosophy of mind 130 Summary 133 Six Human and divine freedom 136 Background: Descartes and Spinoza 137 Freedom: the general analysis 140 Contingency and human freedom 143 Contingency and divine freedom 151 Laws, explanations, and final causes 156 Summary 160 Seven The problem of evil 164 ‘Epicurus’s Old Questions’ in a new setting 165 The best of all possible worlds 167 The criteria of value 169 The kinds of evils 174 Summary 180 Eight Ethics and politics 183 Moral psychology 184 The City of God 188 Justice 193 The political community 194 Leibniz’s critique of Hobbes 199 Summary 203