This new anthology of early modern philosophy enriches the possibilities for teaching this period by highlighting not only metaphysics and epistemology, but also new themes such as virtue, equality and difference, education, the passions, and love. It contains the works of forty-three philosophers, including traditionally taught figures such as Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant, as well as less familiar writers such as Lord Shaftesbury, Anton Amo, Julien Offray de La Mettrie, and Denis Diderot. It also highlights the contributions of women philosophers, including Margaret Cavendish, Anne Conway, Gabrielle Suchon, Sor Juana Inéz de la Cruz, and Emilie Du Châtelet.

Lisa Shapiro's profile page

Marcy P. Lascano's profile page

Lisa Shapiro is Professor of Philosophy at Simon Fraser University. Marcy P. Lascano is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kansas.

“Instructors and scholars of early modern philosophy have desperately awaited this anthology, frustrated with existing collections that present an outdated and narrow canon. Shapiro and Lascano’s impressively rich compilation reflects current scholarship, which has rediscovered many previously overlooked texts and topics. This versatile anthology should work beautifully for traditional courses on early modern philosophy, for drastically reconceived courses, or for anything in between.” — Julia Jorati, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

“More than a textbook, this anthology is an extraordinary resource for students and scholars. Thanks to Lisa Shapiro and Marcy Lascano, we can better appreciate the wide range of questions, problems, and concerns defining the modern period. Alongside a broader than usual range of canonical thinkers, the anthology features a rich and engaging variety of contributions from early modern women philosophers. Bravo!” — Hasana Sharp, McGill University

“By rediscovering the philosophical writings of women and people of color, recent scholarship has made great progress in understanding the themes and thinkers in early modern philosophy. This superb anthology, balancing classic philosophical texts with texts by philosophers historically excluded from the canon, offers exciting possibilities for instructors wishing to align their courses with this pioneering new research.” — Deborah Boyle, College of Charleston

“This early modern collection is fresh and exciting, including traditional texts but also venturing far beyond the canon. It’s a pleasure to see the likes of George Berkeley side-by-side with lesser-known figures such as Catharine Trotter Cockburn and Francis Hutcheson. Clever themes and a straightforward timeline will render it easy and appealing for teachers and students alike.” — Emily Thomas, Durham University

“Many will be familiar with the old narrative of early modern European philosophy—the story of three continental rationalists, three British empiricists, and Kant as the synthesizer of the two traditions. And many will be familiar with the steady erosion of that story in recent decades. Now, with this book of primary texts aimed for teachers and students of this rich and pivotal period in western philosophy, Lisa Shapiro and Marcy Lascano have provided a tremendous resource for philosophers wishing to imagine a fuller, more inclusive, and vastly more interesting history of philosophy. This book includes texts from forty-three early modern figures including many women and erstwhile unappreciated men, and it recognizes a range of genres in which philosophy was produced in these centuries. Among this volume’s many virtues is the section on themes, which will be especially helpful for instructors as we build our syllabi. Some of those themes—such as love, habituation and custom, and education—show the range of issues that early modern philosophers grappled with, a range exposed by breaking out of the old canon. The study questions at the start of each philosopher’s entries will provoke deep and engaged thought in the student of early modern philosophy. With this ground-breaking and inspiring text, Shapiro and Lascano have done the philosophical community an enormous service.” — Karen Detlefsen, University of Pennsylvania