Living Mirrors
Infinity, Unity, and Life in Leibniz's Philosophy
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Product details:
- Publisher OUP USA
- Date of Publication 30 May 2019
- ISBN 9780190907327
- Binding Hardback
- No. of pages232 pages
- Size 160x236x22 mm
- Weight 454 g
- Language English 0
Categories
Short description:
This work presents Leibniz's view of infinity and the central role it plays in his theory of living beings. Nachtomy argues that Leibniz employs three degrees of infinity: absolute infinity, which applies to God; maximum or infinite in kind, which applies to created, living beings; and mathematical infinity.
MoreLong description:
In Living Mirrors, Ohad Nachtomy examines Leibniz's attempt to "re-enchant" the natural world-that is, to infuse life, purpose, and value into the very foundations of nature, a nature that Leibniz saw as disenchanted by Descartes' and Spinoza's more naturalistic and mechanistic theories. Nachtomy sees Leibniz's nuanced view of infinity- how it differs in the divine as well as human spheres, and its relationship to numerical and metaphysical unity-as key in this effort. Leibniz defined living beings by means of an infinite nested structure particular to what he called "natural machines"-and for him, an intermediate kind of infinity is the defining feature of living beings. Using a metaphor of a "living mirror," Leibniz put forth infinity as crucial to explaining the unity of a living being as well as the harmony between the infinitely small and the infinitely large; in this way, employing infinity and unity, we can better understand life itself, both as a metaphysical principle and as an empirical fact. Nachtomy's sophisticated and novel treatment of the essential themes in Leibniz's work will not only interest Leibniz scholars, but scholars of early modern philosophy and students of the history of philosophy and science as well.
...the book constitutes a valuable contribution to Leibniz studies. In connecting Leibniz's discussions of infinity and life, Nachtomy's book helpfully reconsiders Leibniz's metaphysics in light of the recent progress scholars have made in understanding Leibniz's views on the nature of life and vital processes. Living Mirrors will therefore benefit and provide much food for thought for all readers of Leibniz.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction: What Does Infinity Have to do with Life?
Chapter 1: Introducing the Main Characters: A Conceptual Outline of Leibniz's Approach to Infinity
Chapter 2: Leibniz in Paris: Between Infinite Number and Infinite Being
Chapter 3: Leibniz Reads Spinoza: Different Senses and Different Degrees of Infinity
Chapter 4: Infinity and Unity: Mathematics and Metaphysics
Chapter 5: Infinity and Life: A Sketch of Leibniz's Development
Chapter 6: Animate and Inanimate Things, Natural and Artificial Machines
Chapter 7: Living Mirrors and Mites: Leibniz and Pascal
Chapter 8: Created Beings as Infinite and Limited
Chapter 9: Monads at the Bottom, Monads at the Top, Monads All Over
Chapter 10: Life, Force, and Infinity
Conclusion: The Re-enchantment of Nature
Bibliography
