Leibniz Reinterpreted 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. 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.
Author(s): Lloyd Strickland
Year: 2006
Language: English
Pages: 192
Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgements......Page 10
Abbreviations......Page 12
1 Introduction......Page 14
2 The Grounds for Optimism......Page 20
3 The Perfection of Things......Page 26
4 The Perfection of Worlds I: Richness......Page 56
5 The Perfection of Worlds II: Simplicity......Page 80
6 The Harmony of Things......Page 106
7 Does the World Increase in Perfection?......Page 128
8 Conclusion......Page 156
Index Locorum......Page 166
Bibliography......Page 180
N......Page 184
W......Page 185
