Leibniz and China A Commerce of Light [Paperback]

A comprehensive study of Leibniz's writings on China, integrating these writings into Leibniz's philosophy.Why was Leibniz so fascinated by Chinese philosophy and culture? What specific forms did his interest take? How did his interest compare with the relative indifference of his philosophical contemporaries and near-contemporaries such as Spinoza and Locke? In this highly original book, Franklin Perkins examines Leibniz's voluminous writings on the subject and suggests that his interest was founded in his own philosophy: the nature of his metaphysical and theological views required him to take Chinese thought seriously.Why was Leibniz so fascinated by Chinese philosophy and culture? What specific forms did his interest take? How did his interest compare with the relative indifference of his philosophical contemporaries and near-contemporaries such as Spinoza and Locke? In this highly original book, Franklin Perkins examines Leibniz's voluminous writings on the subject and suggests that his interest was founded in his own philosophy: the nature of his metaphysical and theological views required him to take Chinese thought seriously.Why was Leibniz so fascinated by Chinese philosophy and culture? What specific forms did his interest take, and how did it compare with the relative indifference of his philosophical contemporaries and others such as Spinoza and Locke? Franklin Perkins examines Leibniz's voluminous writings on the subject and suggests that his interest originated within his own philosophy since the nature of his metaphysical and theological views required him to take Chinese thought seriously.List of illustrations; Preface; List of abbreviations; 1. Europe encounters the world; 2. Order and diversity in Leibniz's metaphysics; 3. Exchange with China; 4. Interpreting China; 5. Leibniz and cultural exchange; Bibliography; Index. This is a carefully researched, closely argued, and clearly written work which offers a number of insights into the metaphysics al“#