Reimarus on Natural Religion, Final Causation and Mechanism
Abstract
The article examines how Reimarus reorients concepts borrowed from Leibniz and Wolff – the principles of perfection, harmony and continuity – in order to feed his own natural religion project. Teleology is understood as a doctrine aiming at proving not only God’s perfections, but also the effects of the divine wisdom on creatures. Consequently, recourse to final causes in natural philosophy cannot remain at the level of general reasons, as Maupertuis’s principle of least action does, but rather ought to be used in the explanation of the specific purpose of beings.
Keywords
Leibniz | reception of Leibniz | Christian Wolff | Hermann Samuel Reimarus | physico-theology | divine creation | perfection | harmony | law of continuity | mechanism | Maupertuis | Leibniz | réception de Leibniz | Christian Wolff | Hermann Samuel Reimarus | physico-théologie | création divine | perfection | harmonie | loi de la continuité | mécanisme | Maupertuis | Leibniz | Leibnizrezeption | Christian Wolff | Hermann Samuel Reimarus | Physico-Theologie | Gottes Schöpfung | Perfektion | Harmonie | Gesetz der Kontinuität | Mechanismus | Maupertuis