Leibniz on God and Religion: A Reader

by Lloyd Strickland (Editor)

Overview

Bringing together Leibniz's writings on God and religion for the very first time, Leibniz on God and Religion: A Reader reflects the growing importance now placed on Leibniz's philosophical theology. This reader features a wealth of material, from jourbanal articles and book reviews published in Leibniz's lifetime to private notes and essays, as well as items from his correspondence.

Organised thematically into the following sections, this reader captures the changes in Leibniz's thinking over the course of his career:

The Catholic Demonstrations
The existence and nature of God
Reason and faith
Ethics and the love of God
The Bible
Miracles and mysteries
The churches and their doctrines
Grace and predestination
Sin, evil, and theodicy
The afterlife
Non-Christian religions

In preparing this reader, Strickland has returbaned to Leibniz's original manuscripts to ensure accurate translations of key texts, the majority of which have not been available in English before. The reader also contains a number of texts previously unpublished in any form.

Alongside the translations, this reader contains an introductory essay, explanatory notes on all of the texts, and suggestions for further reading. This valuable sourcebook enables students of all levels to achieve a well-rounded understanding of Leibniz's philosophical theology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472580627
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/25/2016
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Lloyd Strickland is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy in the Department of History, Politics & Philosophy at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He has published four books: Leibniz Reinterpreted (2006), Shorter Leibniz Texts (2006), Leibniz and the Two Sophies (2011), and Leibniz's Monadology (2014). He also runs a website which houses some of his Leibniz translations: http://www.leibniz-translations.com

Table of Contents

Abbreviations
Introduction
Recommended further reading

Part I: The Catholic Demonstrations

Part II: The Existence and Nature of God
(a) The existence of God
(b) The nature of God

Part III: Reason and Faith

Part IV: Ethics and Love of God

Part V: Grace and Predestination

Part VI: The Bible

Part VII: Miracles and mysteries

Part VIII: The churches and their doctrines

Part IX: Sin, Evil, and Theodicy

Part X: The Afterlife
(a) Resurrection
(b) Purgatory
(c) Salvation and damnation

Part XI: Non-Christian Religions

Index

Editorial Reviews

A wonderful volume which is just as necessary as it is important. Strickland has done a great service in meticulously and artfully combining Leibniz's complicated views about the major facets of his beliefs concerning God and religion into one text ... The book is recommended without the slightest bit of reservation. The text is an invaluable source for not only scholars working on Leibniz and early modern thought, but to philosophers of religion as well.” —International Jourbanal for Philosophy of Religion

“A thoroughly eclectic selection of texts ... [Strickland] considers the case of the resurrection of a man raised solely on human flesh from infancy. Amidst increasing schism, pessimism and uncertainty, the rediscovery of his [Leibniz's] thought could not be timelier.” —LSE Review of Books

“Lloyd Strickland has done students and teachers of Leibniz an enormous service in producing this fine selection from Leibniz's writings on philosophical theology, many of which appear in English for the first time. It will surely become a standard reference volume for many years to come. Whilst offering only a fraction of Leibniz's output on these issues, Leibniz on God and Religion serves to counter a tendency among some prominent Anglophone scholars to represent Leibniz as a philosopher whose views emerged primarily from his logical and/or scientific interests. In contrast, Strickland's volume clearly demonstrates the ways in which Leibniz's understanding of God and religion were at the very heart of his philosophical project throughout his career.” —Paul Lodge, Tutorial Fellow in Philosophy, Mansfield College, University of Oxford, UK

From the Publisher