Böcker av Jeffrey K. (Professor of Philosophy McDonough

A rival to Isaac Newton in mathematics and physics, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz believed that our world-the best of all possible worlds-must be governed by optimality principles. Jeffrey McDonough explores the pursuit of optimality through five of his most important works in natural philosophy and shows how thinking about optimality bridges his scientific and philosophical studies. Chapters include discussions of Leibniz's understanding of teleology, the nature ofbodies, laws of nature, and free will. The final chapter explores the legacy of Leibniz's physics in light of his work on optimal form.

This volume explores the intuitive yet puzzling concept of teleology as it has been treated by philosophers from the time of Plato and Aristotle to the present day. Philosophical discussions are enlivened and contextualized by reflections on the implications of teleology in medicine, art, poetry, and music.