Glowienka Leibniz’s Metaphysics of Harmony

1. Auflage 2016
ISBN: 978-3-515-11483-7
Verlag: Franz Steiner
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Deutsch, Englisch, Band Band 49, 124 Seiten, E-Book-Text

Reihe: Studia Leibnitiana – Sonderhefte.

Central to G.W. Leibniz's (1646–1716) contention that we live in "the best of all possible worlds" is the thesis that we inhabit a harmoniously ordered universe. However, despite Leibniz's numerous remarks on the matter, no consensus exists on what exactly universal harmony entails. This e-book examines Leibniz's writings chronologically and offers a new assessment of the meaning and function of harmony in Leibniz's metaphysics. The author shows that Leibniz's conception of harmony undergoes significant revision in the 1670s. He maintains that understanding this revision is crucial for grasping how Leibniz employs the idea of harmony in arguments for the mind's incorporeal nature and its "preestablished harmony" with the body, as well in arguments for the world's intelligibility and for the privileged moral status of rational agents. The e-book thus aims to broaden our picture of the development of Leibniz's philosophy and to deepen our appreciation for the irreducible role harmony plays in it.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Glowienka, Edward W.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Geschichte der Westlichen Philosophie Westliche Philosophie: Aufklärung
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Geschichte der Westlichen Philosophie Westliche Philosophie: 18. Jahrhundert
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Metaphysik, Ontologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Geschichte der Westlichen Philosophie Westliche Philosophie: Neuzeit

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS;6
2;CONTENTS;8
3;ABBREVIATIONS;10
4;I - INTRODUCTION;12
4.1;§ 1 HARMONY AS METAPHYSICAL GRUNDBEGRIFF;12
4.2;§ 2 WHAT IS ENTAILED IN CLASSIFYING HARMONY AS A GRUNDBEGRIFF?;14
4.3;§ 3 WHY IS HARMONY A GRUNDBEGRIFF IN LEIBNIZ’S THOUGHT?;15
4.4;§ 4 CONSPECTUS;18
5;II - HARMONY AS THE CO-COMPENSATION OF IDENTITY AND DIVERSITY [1669–1674];21
5.1;§ 1 INTRODUCTION;21
5.2;§ 2 NATURAL LAW;22
5.3;§ 3 NATURAL PHILOSOPHY;28
5.4;§ 4 NATURAL THEOLOGY;37
5.5;§ 5 CONCLUSION;43
6;III - A NEW CONCEPTION OF HARMONY [1675–1679];45
6.1;§ 1 INTRODUCTION;45
6.2;§ 2 BEYOND CO-COMPENSATION;46
6.3;§ 3 THE IMPORT OF HARMONY IN DE SUMMA RERUM;48
6.4;§ 4 HARMONY: AN ENTITY OF REASON;54
6.5;§ 5 A MAXIMALLY INTELLIGIBLE WORLD;59
6.6;§ 6 COMPETING MODELS OF LEIBNIZIAN HARMONY;63
6.7;§ 7 CONCLUSION;64
7;IV - HARMONY AND CAUSALITY [1680–1690];66
7.1;§ 1 INTRODUCTION;66
7.2;§ 2 HARMONY AND CAUSAL EXPLANATION;67
7.3;§ 3 HARMONY AND CAUSAL INTERACTION;75
7.4;§ 4 CONCLUSION;86
8;V - HARMONY IN LEIBNIZ’S LATE THOUGHT [1690–1716];87
8.1;§ 1 INTRODUCTION;87
8.2;§ 2 PREESTABLISHED HARMONY REVISITED;89
8.3;§ 3 MONADS, HARMONY, AND THE QUESTION OF UNION;100
9;VI - A METAPHYSICS OF HARMONY;109
10;BIBLIOGRAPHY;120

Über Autor(innen)

Glowienka, Edward W.
Edward W. Glowienka is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Carroll College in Helena, Montana. His research focuses on metaphysics and ethics in the early modern period, particularly in the work of G.W. Leibniz.