Philosophisches Lexicon

*Philosophisches Lexicon* was the first dictionary of philosophy in a modern language. First published in 1726 by Johann Georg Walch (1693-1775), the Thoemmes Press reprint is of the second improved edition (1733), containing biographical sketches from Abelard to Zeno. The work is known for its comprehensive entries and depth of scholarship, reflecting indirectly the ideas of Leibniz and Wolff. Walch himself advocated an eclecticism that emphasized independent thinking, arguing against Aristotelianism, scholasticism, Cartesianism and the 'systema' of Leibniz and Wolff. He contrasted these different philosophical 'sects' with the 'middle way' of sound philosophical thinking. Such entries as 'Grund', 'Gründlichkeit', 'zureichender Grund', 'Harmonie', 'höchstes Gut', 'Moralität', 'Vernunftlehre' and 'Wille des Menschen' provide us with important sources for understanding the way Kant and his contemporaries understood important philosophical terms. Other entries such as 'Hexerei' and 'Zauberei' reveal the continuing importance of the theological background of philosophy. With an introduction by Manfred Kuehn, this sought-after dictionary is essential to all historians of philosophy.