Wilhelm Leibnitz, like Descartes, Hobbes and Spinoza, is convinced of the importance of the mechanical explanation of nature. His three predecessors regarded the mechanical principles as self-evident and as given once for all, and assumed the task of interpreting the various elements of reality in harmony with the principle of mechanical causality. Leibnitz however subjects the principle of causality to a profounder analysis by inquiring into its presuppositions and seeking to refer it back to something still more fundamental. It is only after he has succeeded in this that he proceeds to the definition of the relation between matter and mind. The motive for this investigation was in part purely theoretical, due to the fact that Leibnitz discovered gaps and inconsistencies in his predecessors, in part practical, due to his desire to bring the modern explanation of nature into more perfect harmony with his religious presuppositions. He attempted to accomplish both at a single stroke, by means of a single idea, the idea of continuity...
Leibnitz bases his ethical ideas on the longing for perfection, i.e. for a higher degree of energy and greater spiritual harmony. The sense of pleasure is correlated with an abundance and harmony of energies...
This book deals with the life and thoughts of Leibnitz, the famous German philosopher and scientist.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Alexander Campbell Fraser (1819-1914) was a Scottish philosopher and educator known for reviving interest in Bishop Berkeley. Born in Ardchattan, he studied at Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities before entering the Presbyterian ministry. He became the first professor of Logic at New College in 1846 and later succeeded Sir William Hamilton at Edinburgh University. Fraser edited Berkeley's works, wrote philosophical biographies, and explored the relationship between religion and science. He retired in 1891 but remained active, publishing his Biographia Philosophica in 1904.
Harald Høffding, born in Copenhagen on March 11, 1843 and died in the same city on June 2, 1931, was a Danish philosopher. Throughout his work, he developed a doctrine that was both positivist and critical, a continuation of Kantian criticalism and a break with reductionist materialism. He is associated with the theory of psychophysical parallelism, the dissemination of which he contributed to in late 19th-century Europe.
Frederic Henry Hedge (1805-1890) was a Unitarian minister, Transcendentalist, and leading scholar of German literature in the U.S. A Harvard graduate, he co-founded the Transcendental Club but later distanced himself from the movement. He held pastoral roles in several churches and became a Harvard professor of ecclesiastical history and German literature. Hedge translated Luther's A Mighty Fortress Is Our God and served as president of the American Unitarian Association. He died in Cambridge and was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery.
