also with anticipating the basic ideasof modern logic, information science, and fractal geometry. He madeimportant contributions to such diverse fields as jurisprudence,geology and etymology, while sketching designs for calculatingmachines, wind pumps, and submarines. But the common presentationof his philosophy as a kind of unworldly idealism is at odds withall this bustling practical activity.In this book Richard. T. W. Arthur offers a fresh reading ofLeibniz’s philosophy, clearly situating it in its scientific,political and theological contexts. He argues that Leibniz aimed toprovide an improved foundation for the mechanical philosophy basedon a new kind of universal language. His contributions to naturalphilosophy are an integral part of this programme, which hismetaphysics, dynamics and organic philosophy were designed tosupport. Rather than denying that substances really exist in spaceand time, as the idealist reading proposes, Leibniz sought toprovide a deeper understanding of substance and body, and a correctunderstanding of space as an order of situations and time as anorder of successive things.This lively and approachable book will appeal to students ofphilosophy, as well as anyone seeking a stimulating introduction toLeibniz's thought and its continuing relevance.

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