Jeffrey K. McDonough's Books

A Miracle Creed

The Principle of Optimality in Leibniz's Physics and Philosophy

By: Jeffrey K. McDonough

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A Miracle Creed

The Principle of Optimality in Leibniz's Physics and Philosophy

By: Jeffrey K. McDonough

A rival to Isaac Newton in mathematics and physics, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz believed that our world--the best of all possible worlds--must be governed by a principle of optimality. This book explores Leibniz's pursuit of optimality in five of his most important works in natural philosophy and shows how his principle of optimality bridges his scientific and philosophical studies. The first chapter explores Leibniz's work on the laws of optics and its implications for his defense of natural teleology. The second chapter examines Leibniz's work on the breaking strength of rigid beams and its implications for his thinking about the metaphysical foundations of the material world. The third chapter revisits Leibniz's famous defense of the conservation of vis viva and proposes a novel account of the origin of Leibniz's mature natural philosophy. The fourth chapter takes up Leibniz's efforts to determine the shape of freely hanging chains--the so-called problem of the catenary--and shows how that work provides an illuminating model for his thinking about the teleological structure of wills. Finally, the fifth chapter uses Leibniz's derivation of the path of quickest descent--his solution to the so-called problem of the Brachistochrone--and its historical context as a springboard for an exploration of the legacy of Leibniz's physics. The book closes with a brief discussion of the systematicity of Leibniz's thinking in philosophy and the natural sciences.

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249

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0197629091

ISBN 13

9780197629093

Teleology

A History

By: Jeffrey K. McDonough

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Teleology

A History

By: Jeffrey K. McDonough

Teleology is the belief that some things happen, or exist for the sake of other things. It is the belief that, for example, salmon swim upstream in order to spawn, and that bears have claws for the sake of catching fish. This volume takes up the intuitive yet puzzling concept of teleology as it has been treated by philosophers from ancient times to the present day. It includes nine main chapters centered on the treatment of teleology in Plato, Aristotle, the Islamic medieval tradition, the Jewish medieval tradition, the Latin medieval tradition, the early modern era, Kant, Hegel, and contemporary philosophy. Each chapter probes central questions such as: is teleology inherent in its subjects or is it imposed on them from the outside? Does teleology necessarily involve intentionality, that is, a subject's cognizing some end, goal, or purpose? What is the scope of teleology? Is it, for example, applicable to elements and animals, or only to rational beings? Finally, is teleology explanatory? When we say that salmon swim upstream in order to spawn, have we explained why they swim upstream? When we say that bears have claws for catching fish, have we explained why bears have claws? The philosophical discussions of the main chapters are enlivened and contextualized by four reflection pieces exploring the implications of teleology in medicine, art, poetry, and music.

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321

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0190845732

ISBN 13

9780190845735

Saints, Heretics, and Atheists

A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion

By: Jeffrey K. McDonough

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Saints, Heretics, and Atheists

A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion

By: Jeffrey K. McDonough

This book offers a historical introduction to fundamental questions in the philosophy of religion. It is divided into twenty-five chapters. The first chapter discusses the nature of piety drawing on Plato's Euthyphro. The next three chapters discuss the nature of evil, free will, foreknowledge, and sin in the context of Augustine's On Free Choice of Will. Chapter Five discusses Anslem's "ontological" argument for the existence of God. Chapter Six explores Ibn Sina's account of the nature of the soul and immortality. The next two chapters explore the foundations of religious belief and mysticism in the company of al-Ghazali's The Rescuer from Error. Chapters nine through eleven discuss Aquinas's arguments for the existence of God as well as his account of God's impersonal and personal attributes. The twelfth chapter explores Marguerite Porete's account of mystical ascent as well as the doctrines of heaven and hell. Chapter Thirteen discusses Pascal's pragmatic argument for belief in the existence of God. Chapters Fourteen through Sixteen discuss Spinoza's understanding of God, our relationship to God, and the foundations of morality. Chapters Seventeen through Nineteen explore the argument from design, the existence of God, deism, and the problem of evil. Chapter Twenty investigates Mary Shepherd's defense of belief in miracles, while Chapter Twenty-One explores Mill's views on the utility of religion. Finally, chapters Twenty-Three through Twenty-Five explore the origins of modern morality and the relationship between religion and nihilism in the company of Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morality"--

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289

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Oxford University Press

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ISBN 10

0197563848

ISBN 13

9780197563847

A Miracle Creed

The Principle of Optimality in Leibniz's Physics and Philosophy

By: Jeffrey K. McDonough

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A Miracle Creed

The Principle of Optimality in Leibniz's Physics and Philosophy

By: Jeffrey K. McDonough

This book introduces Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz's Principle of Optimality and argues that it plays a central role his physics and philosophy, with profound implications for both. Each chapter begins with an introduction to one of Leibniz's ground-breaking studies in natural philosophy, paying special attention to the role of optimal form in those investigations. Each chapter then goes on to explore the philosophical implications of optimal form for Leibniz's broader philosophical system. Individual chapters include discussions of Leibniz's understanding of teleology, the nature of bodies, laws of nature, and free will. The final chapter explores the legacy of Leibniz's physics in light of his work on optimal form"--

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249

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0197629075

ISBN 13

9780197629079

Saints, Heretics, and Atheists

A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion

By: Jeffrey K. McDonough

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Saints, Heretics, and Atheists

A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion

By: Jeffrey K. McDonough

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289

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0197563848

ISBN 13

9780197563847

Teleology

A History

By: Jeffrey K. McDonough

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Teleology

A History

By: Jeffrey K. McDonough

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Page Count

321

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0190845724

ISBN 13

9780190845728

Book's by Jeffrey K. McDonough

A Miracle Creed

A Miracle Creed

Teleology

Teleology

Saints, Heretics, and Atheists

Saints, Heretics, and Atheists

A Miracle Creed

A Miracle Creed

Saints, Heretics, and Atheists

Saints, Heretics, and Atheists

Teleology

Teleology

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