On Leibniz: Expanded Edition

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ON LEIBNIZ e xpanded edi t ion Nicholas Rescher philosophy of science “Besides the value of his historical research and his interpretive proposals, Rescher can be credited for having shed light not only on the motives that, albeit in a different theoretical framework, speak in favor of a Leibnizian style in philosophy but also on some of the elements of Leibniz’s metaphysics relevant to our metaphysical problems.”—Studia Leibnitiana on the original edition “This collection of Rescher’s work . . . is an invaluable record of his contributions to our understandings of Leibniz’s thought in the last quarter century.” —Philosophy in Review on the original edition “With this extraordinary collection we are reminded of Rescher’s philosophical roots and his inspiration. The topics covered help reveal both Leibniz’s interests and times and the enormous value of the rigor of Rescher’s scholarship.” —Joseph C. Pitt, Virginia Tech, on the original edition Contemporary philosopher John Searle has characterized Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) as “the most intelligent human being who has ever lived.” The German philosopher, mathematician, and logician invented calculus (independently of Sir Isaac Newton), topology, determinants, binary arithmetic, symbolic logic, rational mechanics, and much more. His metaphysics bequeathed a set of problems and approaches that have influenced the course of Western philosophy from Kant in the eighteenth century until the present day. On Leibniz examines many aspects of Leibniz’s work and life, extrapolates the fundamentals of his ontology, and provides discussions of his epistemology and methodology, among many other topics. This expanded edition adds new chapters that explore Leibniz’s revolutionary deciphering machine, his theoretical interest in cryptography and its ties to algebra, his thoughts on eternal recurrence theory, his rebuttal of the thesis of improvability in the world and cosmos, and an overview of American scholarship on Leibniz. Nicholas Rescher is Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh and chairman of the Center for Philosophy of Science. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has served as president of the Leibniz Society of North America and is the author or editor of more than one hundred books. University of Pittsburgh Press www.upress.pitt.edu Cover art: A Leibniz stepped reckoner calculator. Cover design: Ann Walston ISBN 13: 978-0-8229-6218-2 ISBN 10: 0-8229-6218-7 9 7 8 0 8 2 2 9 6 2 1 8 2 Rescher ON LEIBNIZ Pittsburgh ...