Leibniz's Discourse on Metaphysics: A New Translation and Commentary

✍ Scribed by Christopher Johns

• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Year: 2023
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 360
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

A fresh translation and in-depth commentary of Leibniz’s seminal text Discourse on Metaphysics

• The first English translation based on the Akademie Edition
• Provides extensive commentary on each of the 37 sections of the Discourse
• Offers historical and biographical context for the work and the author himself
• Designed for teachers and students of Early Modern philosophy
• Includes a bibliography of primary texts and recommended secondary reading

Written in 1686, Discourse on Metaphysics is one of the most important and widely published works in the history of philosophy. This translation and commentary by Christopher Johns has much new to offer.

Based on the Akademie edition this is the first truly scholarly translation. Also included is historical and philosophical context, detailing Leibniz’s activities during 1685 and 1686, and several letters previously unpublished in English. These letters and texts illuminate important themes found in the Discourse and shed light on the intellectual context of the time which will be of particular interest to scholars and teachers of Leibniz.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction to Leibniz’s Life and Work
Translation of the Discourse on Metaphysics1
Commentary on the Discourse on Metaphysics
Context I: Two Years of The Life and Work of G. W. Leibniz: January 1685 to December 1686
Context II: Translations of Letters Selected from 1685
Bibliography
Index of Names
Index of Terms