Bloomsbury Leibniz on God and Religion: A Reader

Bringing together Leibnizs writings on God and religion for the very first time, Leibniz on God and Religion: A Reader reflects the growing importance now placed on Leibnizs philosophical theology. This reader features a wealth of material, from journal articles and book reviews published in Leibnizs 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 Leibnizs 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 returned to Leibnizs 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 The reader also contains a number of texts previously unpublished in any form.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 Leibnizs philosophical theology. Review 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 About the Author Lloyd Strickland is Reader in Philosophy at Manchester Metropolitan University. His publications include Leibniz Reinterpreted (2006), Shorter Leibniz Texts (2006), Leibniz and the Two Sophies (2011) and Leibniz’s Monadology (2014), and he has published numerous articles in journals such as British Journal for the History of Philosopy, Religious Studies, Annals of Science and Archiv für geschichte der philosophie. He also runs a highly successful website devoted to Leibniz: www.leibniz-translations.com