The Monadology and the Abridgment of the Theodicy

EN · English

Two late works of Leibniz in one volume, read in full: the Monadology (1714), his compact metaphysical system in ninety numbered sections — the monads as simple substances, their pre-established harmony, and this world as the best of all possible worlds — and the Abridgment of the Theodicy (1710), where the argument of his great work on the problem of evil is distilled into a sequence of objections and replies. A short summary after each of the five parts draws out its main ideas. For anyone ready to finally hear the book behind every mention of the best of all possible worlds. Long after the last chapter, one feeling remains: everything hangs together — and you have heard Leibniz explain why.