Leibniz and China: A Commerce of Light (review)

Andrew Youpa - Leibniz and China: A Commerce of Light - Journal of the History of Philosophy 44:1 Journal of the History of Philosophy 44.1 125-126 Franklin Perkins. Leibniz and China: A Commerce of Light. Cambridge-New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Pp. xvi + 224. Cloth, $65.00. In his Leibniz and China, Franklin Perkins undertakes two main tasks. The first is historical: to illuminate Leibniz's nearly lifelong interest in China within the context of early modern Europe as well as within Leibniz's own moral, scientific, and religious concerns. The second task is philosophical: to show that Leibniz's interest is not accidental—that his "openness to China is not an accident of his experience or personality but flows naturally from his philosophy" . Specifically, Perkins aims to show that, unlike the philosophies of some of his prominent predecessors and contemporaries (viz.,..