Divine Machines：Leibniz and the Sciences of Life

Thoughitdidnotyetexistasadiscretefieldofscientificinquiry,biologywasattheheartofmanyofthemostimportantdebatesinseventeenth-centuryphilosophy.NowhereisthismoreapparentthanintheworkofG.W.Leibniz.In"DivineMachines",JustinSmithoffersthefirstin-depthexaminationofLeibniz'sdeepandcomplexengagementwiththeempiricallifesciencesofhisday,inareasasdiverseasmedicine,physiology,taxonomy,generationtheory,andpaleontology.Heshowshowthesewide-rangingpursuitswerenotonlycentraltoLeibniz'sphilosophicalinterests,butoftenprovidedtheinsightsthatledtosomeofhisbest-knownphilosophicaldoctrines.PresentingtheclearestpictureyetofthescopeofLeibniz'stheoreticalinterestinthelifesciences,DivineMachinestakesseriouslythephilosopher'sownrepeatedclaimsthattheworldmustbeunderstoodinfundamentallybiologicalterms.HereSmithrevealsathinkerwhowasimmersedinthesciencesoflife,andlookedtothelivingworldforanswerstovexingmetaphysicalproblems.HecastsLeibniz'sphilosophyinanentirelynewlight,demonstratinghowitradicallydepartedfromtheprevailingmodelsofmechanicalphilosophyandhadanenduringinfluenceonthehistoryanddevelopmentofthelifesciences.Alongtheway,Smithprovidesafascinatingglimpseintoearlymoderndebatesaboutthenatureandoriginsoforganiclife,andintohowphilosopherssuchasLeibnizengagedwiththescientificdilemmasoftheirera.