Leibniz on Natural Teleology and the Laws of Optics
Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 78 (3):505-544 (2009)
| Abstract | This essay examines one of the cornerstones of Leibniz’s defense of teleology within the order of nature. The first section explores Leibniz’s contributions to the study of geometrical optics, and argues that his “Most Determined Path Principle” or “MDPP” allows him to bring to the fore philosophical issues concerning the legitimacy of teleological explanations by addressing two technical objections raised by Cartesians to non-mechanistic derivations of the laws of optics. The second section argues that, by drawing on laws such as the MDPP, Leibniz is able to introduce a thin notion of teleology that gives him the resources to respond to the most pressing charges of his day against teleological explanations within natural philosophy. Finally, the third section argues that contemporary philosophershave been overly hasty in their dismissal of Leibniz’s account of natural teleology, and indeed that their own generally thin conceptions of teleology have left them with few well-motivated resources for resisting his elegant position | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,679 |
| External links |
  Try with proxy. |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesJames Kreines (2005). The Inexplicability of Kant's Naturzweck: Kant on Teleology, Explanation and Biology. Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie 87 (3):270-311.
Larry M. Jorgensen (2009). The Principle of Continuity and Leibniz's Theory of Consciousness. Journal of the History of Philosophy 47 (2):pp. 223-248.
Willem A. deVries (1991). The Dialectic of Teleology. Philosophical Topics 19 (2):51-70.
Mariska Leunissen (2010). Explanation and Teleology in Aristotle's Science of Nature. Cambridge University Press.
Jeffrey McDonough (forthcoming). Descartes' Dioptrics and Descartes' Optics. In Nolan Larry (ed.), The Cambridge Descartes Lexicon. Cambridge.
Jeffrey K. McDonough (2010). Leibniz's Optics and Contingency in Nature. Perspectives on Science 18 (4):432-455.
Jeffrey K. McDonough (2008). Leibniz's Two Realms Revisited. Noûs 42 (4):673-696.
James D. Madden (2003). Leibniz on Teleology and the Intelligibility of Nature. Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 77:173-188.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads26 ( #47,662 of 549,088 )Recent downloads (6 months)4 ( #19,228 of 549,088 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
