Leibniz

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) was hailed by Bertrand

Russell as -one of the supreme intellects of all time-. A towering figure

in seventeenth-century philosophy, he was the author of a complex

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 examines

and assesses the whole of Leibniz-s philosophy. Beginning with

an account of Leibniz-s life and work, he carefully explains the core elements

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 between

conscious and unconscious states, before exam