Leibniz: General Inquiries on the Analysis of Notions and Truths

Description

New Texts in the History of Philosophy Published in association with the British Society for the History of Philosophy The aim of this series is to encourage and facilitate the study of all aspects of the history of philosophy, including the rediscovery of neglected elements and the exploration of new approaches to the subject. Texts are selected on the basis of their philosophical and historical significance and with a view to promoting the understanding of currently under-represented authors, philosophical traditions, and historical periods. They include new editions and translations of important yet less well-known works which are not widely available to an Anglophone readership. The series is sponsored by the British Society for the History of Philosophy (BSHP) and is managed by an editorial team elected by the Society. It reflects the Society's main mission and its strong commitment to broadening the canon. In General Inquiries on the Analysis of Notions and Truths, Leibniz articulates for the first time his favourite solution to the problem of contingency and displays the main features of his logical calculus. Leibniz composed the work in 1686, the same year in which he began to correspond with Arnauld and wrote the Discourse on Metaphysics. General Inquiries supplements these contemporary entries in Leibniz's philosophical oeuvre and demonstrates the intimate connection that links Leibniz's philosophy with the attempt to create a new kind of logic. This edition presents the text and translation of the General Inquiries along with an introduction and commentary. Given the composite structure of the text, where logic and metaphysics strongly intertwine, Mugnai's introduction falls into two sections, respectively dedicated to logic and metaphysics. The first section ('Logic') begins with a preliminary account of Leibniz's project for a universal characteristic and focuses on the relationships between rational grammar and logic, and discusses the general structure and the main ingredients of Leibniz's logical calculus. The second section ('Metaphysics') is centred on the problem of contingency, which occupied Leibniz until the end of his life. Mugnai provides an account of the problem, and details Leibniz's proposed solution, based on the concept of infinite analysis. Cover Leibniz: General Inquiries on the Analysis of Notions and Truths Copyright Contents List of Abbreviations On This Edition Introduction 1 Genesis and Structure of the ‘General Inquiries’ 2 Logic 2.1 The Characteristic Art and the Rational Grammar 2.2 Arguments Containing Relations: Rational Grammar and Logic 2.3 The Structure of the Proposition: Extension and Intension 2.4 Coincidence, Containment, and Substitutivity 2.5 Privation and Composition 2.6 Logic of Terms and Logic of Propositions: Some Algebraic Interpretations 3 Metaphysics 3.1 The Main Puzzle 3.2 Solution 1 3.3 Solution 2 Acknowledgments Generales Inquisitiones de Analysi Notionum et Veritatum. General Inquiries about the Analysisof Notions and Truths. Commentary Bibliography Index Nominum General Index