Moses Mendelssohn: Philosophical Writings (Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy) by Moses Mendelssohn (PDF)

Description

Mendelssohn’s Philosophical Writings, published in 1761, bring the metaphysical tradition to bear on the topic of “sentiments” (defined as knowledge or awareness by way of the senses). They include a nuanced defense of Leibniz’s theodicy and conception of freedom, and examination of the ethics of suicide, an account of the “mixed sentiments” so central to the tragic genre, an hypothesis about weakness of will, an elaboration of the main principles and types of art, and a brief tract on probability theory, aimed at rebutting Hume’s skepticism.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “The writings in this collection are interesting both in terms of Mendelssohn’s own philosophical and literary powers and in terms of his relationship to other important philosophical and cultural figures, particularly Leibniz, Shaftsbury, Lessing, and Kant.” M.A. Bertman, Choice”…this is a volume that a student of German philosophy and the Enlightenment will find useful.” SYlvana Tomaselli, Dialogue Book Description Mendelssohn’s Philosophical Writings, helped propel its author to the forefront of the Berlin Enlightenment. From the Back Cover The main objective of Cambridge Tests in the History of Philosophy is to expand the range, variety and quality of texts in the history of philosophy which are available in English. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

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⭐Moses Mendelssohn was a famous philosopher of his time, one for whom Immanuel Kant, among many others, had great respect and esteem. For contemporary philosophers, however, if they have heard of Mendelssohn at all, it is only as the proponent of an argument for the immortality of soul that Kant criticizes in the the First Critique. Mendelssohn developed this argument at great length in his masterwork, Phaidon, which created a sensation in its day. His controversy with Jacobi over Lessing’s supposed Spinozism resulted in his other major work, the Morgenstuden. However, one will find nothing of these works in this collection, which consists primarily of obscure and tedious selections from Mendelssohn’s expositions of Wolffian aesthetics. Mendelssohn’s prize essay on the nature of evidence in philosophy (he beat out Kant, who however was awarded a consolation prize in the form of publication by the academy that sponsored the essay contest)is well worth reading, as well as the two shorter essays that end the collection. It is good that there is anything available to modern philosophers in English from this neglected philosopher, so I would still advise anyone interested to acquire this volume. However, I think there are better texts from this author that might have been selected instead and would be more likely to revive interest in his work.

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