A Miracle Creed

The Principle of Optimality in Leibniz's Physics and Philosophy

Jeffrey K. McDonough

Presents a pioneering study of the Principle of Optimality as a thread running through Leibniz's work in both physics and philosophy
Contains accessible discussions of Leibniz's technical studies in optics, mechanics, and statics
Features a series of provocative interpretations of central features of Leibniz's philosophy, including his understanding of teleology, the nature of bodies, the laws of nature, free will, and Leibniz's legacy in physics

A Miracle Creed

The Principle of Optimality in Leibniz's Physics and Philosophy

Jeffrey K. McDonough

Description

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.

A Miracle Creed

The Principle of Optimality in Leibniz's Physics and Philosophy

Jeffrey K. McDonough

Introduction
Chapter 1. Optics and Immanent Lawful Teleology
Chapter 2. Rigid Beams and the Foundations of Physics
Chapter 3. Vis viva and the Origins of Leibniz's Natural Philosophy
Chapter 4. Hanging Chains and Monadic Agency
Chapter 5. Falling Bodies and the Rise of Variational Mechanics
Epilogue

A Miracle Creed

The Principle of Optimality in Leibniz's Physics and Philosophy

Jeffrey K. McDonough

Author Information

Jeffrey K. McDonough is a Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University. His research focuses on the intersection of philosophy, science, and religion in the early modern era. He has written numerous articles on philosophy in the early modern period. His edited volume on the history of the concept of teleology, Teleology: A History was recently published by Oxford University Press (2020). He is currently at work on a textbook on the philosophy of religion entitled Saints, Heretics and Atheists: A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion also to be published by Oxford University Press.

A Miracle Creed

The Principle of Optimality in Leibniz's Physics and Philosophy

Jeffrey K. McDonough

Reviews and Awards

"This book is an impressive and original contribution to the history of philosophy and to the history of science. When scholars discuss Leibniz's physics, it is almost exclusively his theories of motion and space and his dynamics. But McDonough is calling attention to altogether different corners of Leibniz's scientific interests, his optics, his treatment of rigid beams, his studies of hanging chains and falling bodies, all unified by his use of teleological principles. This is a book like no other in the Leibniz literature: it deserves to be widely read and studied" -- Daniel Garber, Princeton University

"Leibniz' ideas are increasingly useful in modern fields of science as diverse as cosmology and biology. For a grand tour of Leibniz' physics and philosophy—and especially of the subtleties of teleology—there is no finer guide than Jeff McDonough. A Miracle Creed is insightful, even-handed, and crystal-clear. It is essential reading for anyone who cares about how we come to understand and explain our world." -- Dr. Roy R. Gould, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

"This rich and penetrating study breaks new ground in our understanding of Leibniz's philosophy. McDonough demonstrates how the principle of optimality is a 'miracle creed' that drives Leibniz's investigations in optics, mechanics and statics, while closely integrating them with foundational doctrines of his metaphysics. Moving deftly between Leibniz's solutions to technical problems in physics and current interpretative debates, McDonough makes an original case for the systematicity and continued relevance of his thought. The book is a must read for anyone with interests in Leibniz's philosophy and the development of physical theory in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries" -- Donald Rutherford, University of California, San Diego