Moses Mendelssohn Philosophical Writings [Paperback]

Mendelssohn's Philosophical Writings, helped propel its author to the forefront of the Berlin Enlightenment.Mendelssohn's Philosophical Writings, published in 1761, bring the metaphysical tradition to bear on the topic of 'sentiments' (defined as knowledge or awareness by way of the senses). They include a nuanced defence of Leibniz's theodicy and conception of freedom, and examination of the ethics of suicide, an account of the 'mixed sentiments' so central to the tragic genre, an hypothesis about weakness of will, an elaboration of the main principles and types of art, and a brief tract on probability theory, aimed at rebutting Hume's scepticism.Mendelssohn's Philosophical Writings, published in 1761, bring the metaphysical tradition to bear on the topic of 'sentiments' (defined as knowledge or awareness by way of the senses). They include a nuanced defence of Leibniz's theodicy and conception of freedom, and examination of the ethics of suicide, an account of the 'mixed sentiments' so central to the tragic genre, an hypothesis about weakness of will, an elaboration of the main principles and types of art, and a brief tract on probability theory, aimed at rebutting Hume's scepticism.Mendelssohn's Philosophical Writings, published in 1761, bring the metaphysical tradition to bear on the topic of sentiments (defined as knowledge or awareness by way of the senses). They include a nuanced defense of Leibniz's theodicy and conception of freedom, and examination of the ethics of suicide, an account of the mixed sentiments so central to the tragic genre, an hypothesis about weakness of will, an elaboration of the main principles and types of art, and a brief tract on probability theory, aimed at rebutting Hume's skepticism.Part I: On sentiments; Dialogues; Part II: Rhapsody or additions to the letters on sentiments; On the main principles of the fine arts and sciences; On the sublime and naive in the fine sciences; On probability; On evidence in metaphysical sciencesl“*