Leibniz, Kant, and the Possibility of Metaphysics

FAIN: FA-56563-12

Brandon Charles Look
University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY 40506-0001)

My work focuses on a crucial aspect in the history of philosophy: Kant's interpretation and critique of the thought of his great rationalist predecessor, Leibniz. In my book, 'Leibniz, Kant and the Possibility of Metaphysics,' I examine and assess Kant's reaction to and rejection of Leibniz's philosophy. I argue that Kant's case against Leibniz is less successful than assumed by both Kant himself and his followers not only because Leibniz's philosophy is more sophisticated than Kant could have known and later Kant scholars realize but also because Kant's own positive project is not above reproach. At the same time, I show that by seeing Kant's philosophy through the lens of his confrontation with Leibniz and Leibnizian rationalism we can answer some notorious interpretive problems in Kant scholarship. My book will thus constitute a significant contribution to studies in the history of philosophy.