Leibniz and the Environment

In this thought-provoking book, Pauline Phemister sketches an ecological philosophy based on the systematic philosophy of seventeenth century polymath, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.

Leibniz’s pluralist metaphysics of active, unified, embodied monads, understanding of the enfolded nature of organic bodies, individual identity, space and time, analyses of wisdom, justice, charity, love, happiness, joy, and beauty, conceptions of expressive mirroring, progress, harmony, and perfection are all put to work in the development of an ecological philosophy that supports principles of onto- and bio-egalitarianism, diversity, and interconnectedness and that forms the basis for a theory of ‘relational value’ that regards the perfecting of an individual in terms of its ability to promote the flourishing and perfection of others.

Drawing on the perceptual and appetitive relations among individuals, Phemister further outlines a theory of space and time in terms of ethical and aesthetic values, explains how an individual’s true good is inextricably linked to the good of all, and develops a theory of communication-as-harmony that underpins human feelings of empathy and compassion towards all living things. Finally, Leibniz’s all-encompassing optimism is explained through an understanding of the unfolding perfection of the world that results from individuals’ ethical maturation as they learn from the past and realize that the best hopes for the future rest in attentive care for the ‘garden of the world’ in the present.

Leibniz and the Environment is essential reading for historians of philosophy and environmental philosophers, and for anyone seeking a metaphysical perspective from which to pursue environmental action and policy.

Pauline Phemister is Reader in Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, UK. She is author ofLeibniz and the Natural World, and The Rationalists: Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz,and has recently completed an abridged edition of John Locke's Essay concerning Human Understanding.