Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646â1716) was hailed by Bertrand Russell as âone of the supreme intellects of all timeâ. 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 Voltaireâs Candide. In this outstanding introduction to his philosophy Nicholas Jolley examines and assesses the whole of Leibnizâs philosophy. Beginning with an account of Leibnizâs life and work he carefully explains the core elements of Leibnizâs metaphysics: his theories of substance identity and individuation; his doctrine of monads; and his important debate over the nature of space and time with Newtonâs champion Samuel Clarke. He then introduces Leibnizâs theories of mind knowledge and innate ideas showing how Leibniz anticipated the distinction between conscious and unconscious states before examining his doctrine of free will and his solution to the problem of evil. An important feature of the book is its survey of Leibnizâs moral and political philosophy an overlooked aspect of his work. The final chapter assesses Leibnizâs 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 Leibnizâs 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. . Language: English