Discourse on Metaphysics: Correspondence With Arnauld, and Monadology

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

ISBN 10: 1330355768 / ISBN 13: 9781330355763

Published by Forgotten Books, 2018

About this Item

Print on Demand. This book delves into the philosophical ideas of a brilliant polymath who challenged the prevailing thought of his time. Written in the seventeenth century, it offers a profound exploration of the nature of God and the universe, setting the stage for later philosophical movements in Germany. The author grapples with the implications of divine perfection, arguing that God acts in the most desirable way possible and that our love for God should involve complete satisfaction with his actions. He challenges the idea that God could have made things better, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the inherent goodness in God's creations. The book also explores the concept of simplicity and richness in the universe, suggesting that the most perfect beings, spirits, occupy the least space and are essential to God's ultimate aim - the felicity of these spirits. This book offers a compelling and thought-provoking exploration of the relationship between God, humanity, and the universe, offering insights that continue to resonate with readers centuries later. This book is a reproduction of an important historical work, digitally reconstructed using state-of-the-art technology to preserve the original format. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in the book.

Seller Inventory # 9781330355763_0

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Discourse on Metaphysics: Correspondence With Arnauld, and Monadology
• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1330355768
• ISBN 13: 9781330355763
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Book Type: print-on-demand item
• Seller catalogs:
  • Metaphysics

About this title

Synopsis

Excerpt from Discourse on Metaphysics

Therefore I am far removed from the opinion of those who maintain that there are no principles of goodness or perfection in the nature of things, or in the ideas which God has about them, and who say that the works of God are good only through 'he formal reason that God has made them. If this position were true, God, knowing that he is the author of things, would not have to regard them afterwards and find them good, as the Holy Scrip ture witnesses. Such anthropological expressions are used only to let us know that excellence is recognized in regarding the works themselves, even if we do not consider their evident dependence on their author. This is confirmed by the fact that it is in re?ecting upon the works that we are able to discover the one who wrought. They must there fore bear in themselves his character. I confess that the contrary Opinion seems to me extremely dangerous and closely approaches that of recent innovators who hold that the beauty of the universe and the goodness which we attribute to the works of God are chimeras of human beings who think of God in human terms. In saying, therefore, that things are not good according to any standard of goodness, but simply by the will of God, it seems.

Product Description

Excerpt from Discourse on Metaphysics: Correspondence With Arnauld, and Monadology

Therefore I am far removed from the opinion of those who maintain that there are no principles of goodness or perfection in the nature of things, or in the ideas which God has about them, and who say that the works of God are good only through 'he formal reason that God has made them. If this position were true, God, knowing that he is the author of things, would not have to regard them afterwards and find them good, as the Holy Scrip ture witnesses. Such anthropological expressions are used only to let us know that excellence is recognized in regarding the works themselves, even if we do not consider their evident dependence on their author. This is confirmed by the fact that it is in reflecting upon the works that we are able to discover the one who wrought. They must there fore bear in themselves his character. I confess that the contrary Opinion seems to me extremely dangerous and closely approaches that of recent innovators who hold that the beauty of the universe and the goodness which we attribute to the works of God are chimeras of human beings who think of God in human terms. In saying, therefore, that things are not good according to any standard of goodness, but simply by the will of God, it seems.

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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.