G. W. Leibniz's Monadology [Paperback]

Nicholas Rescher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 1991

G.W. Leibniz’s Monadology, one of the most important pieces of the Leibniz corpus, is at once one of the great classics of modern philosophy and one of its most puzzling productions.  Because the essay is written in so condensed and compact a fashion, for almost three centuries it has baffled and beguiled those who read it for the first time.

Nicholas Rescher accompanies the text of the Monadology section-by-section with relevant excerpts from some of Leibniz’s widely scattered discussions of the matters at issue.  The result serves a dual purpose of providing a commentary of the Monadology by Leibniz himself, while at the same time supplying an exposition of his philosophy using the Monadology as an outline.

The book contains all of the materials that even the most careful study of this could text could require: a detailed overview of the philosophical background of the work and of its bibliographic ramifications; a presentation of the original French text together with a new, closely faithful English translation; a selection of other relevant Leibniz texts; and a detailed commentary.  Rescher also provides a survey of Leibniz’s use of analogies and three separate indices of key terms and expressions, Leibniz’s French terminology, and citations.

Rescher’s edition of the Monadology presents Leibniz’s ideas faithfully, accurately, and accessibly, making it especially valuable to scholars and students alike.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press; 1 edition (September 26, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822954494
• ISBN-13: 978-0822954491
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #396,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book, December 11, 1999

By 

Stephen Prior (Boston, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: G. W. Leibniz's Monadology (Paperback)

Leibniz' "Monadology" offers a deeply thought out alternative to the physicalist world view implicit in Galileo and the mechanistic side of Descartes. Leibniz outlines a fascinating and distinct view of the relationship of mind and body, the nature of organisms, and the nature of the universe. Rescher's edition is nothing short of spectacular, offering elaboration of each proposition in the "Monadology" with extensive quotes from Leibniz' other works, as well as his own commentary. This edition is one of the best available ways of becoming acquainted with Leibniz' thought and with the substantive issues involved. Readers who find this book interesting might also enjoy reading Heidegger's commentaries on Leibniz in his book "The Metaphysical Foundations of Logic." Here Heidegger is at his best, offering detailed textual exegesis and a sincere attempt to find the inner logic of Leibiz' thought.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The edition to get, July 17, 2003

By 

Polymath-In-Training (Olive Branch, MS United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: G. W. Leibniz's Monadology (Paperback)

What distinguishes this edition of the Monadology from all others is the extra material included by Rescher. Rescher has collected material from Leibniz's other writings which shed great light on the concepts in the Monadology. In addition, he had included his own commentary on each of the 90 sections.

If you read the bare Monadology, you will probably be confused since it is too brief. If you read this edition, you are actually reading Leibniz's own commentary on the Monadology, and your understanding will be greatly enhanced.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent edition for students, November 17, 2006

By 

Greg (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: G. W. Leibniz's Monadology (Paperback)

Leibniz was one of the most amazing polymaths of the European Renaissance. An expert in Law, Philosophy, History, Geology, Mathematics and Natural Science (Leibniz co-invented the calculus with Newton) he is rightly said to be one of the last 'universal geniuses' in Europe.

Not many know the great mathematician was also a great Philosopher, much like Descartes before him. Perhaps he is better known to many through Voltaire's satirical novel 'Candide', which ridicules a philosopher much like Leibniz who remains optimistic despite experiencing the worst series of disasters which could befall a man.

Leibniz was a rationalist, in the sense he believed the mind could gain access to transempirical truths through reason alone, above and beyond sense experience. He also set up a metaphysical schema of the universe which included God and entities called 'monads.' Monads are idealistic centers of awareness, varying in their capacity for growth. God is the creator of monads and also of the universe, though our universe is the best out of all possible universes God chose to make, a view which led to Voltaire crudely attacking him in satire. In some ways this view is somewhat like that of Origen and Evagrius of Pontus, who believed that God created various beings who fell from their contemplation of the logos and in doing so created our visible world.

This edition includes valuble study notes and commentary on the text, and references to additional sources.