This historically organized book presents a holistic picture of the development of modern philosophy. It contains chapters on each of the major thinkers of this period Galileo, Bacon, Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Newton, Locke, Leibniz, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. ON MODERN PHILOSOPHY concisely presents the aims of each thinker and their basic argumentative strategies for achieving those aims in the context of their lives. The Wadsworth Philosophical Topics Series presents readers with concise, timely, and insightful introductions to a variety of traditional and contemporary philosophical subjects. With this series edited by Robert Talisse of Vanderbilt University, philosophy students will be able to discover the richness of philosophical inquiry across a wide array of concepts, including hallmark philosophical themes and topics typically underrepresented in mainstream philosophy publishing. Written by a distinguished list of scholars who have been noted for their exceptional teaching abilities, this series presents the vast sweep of today's philosophical exploration in highly accessible and affordable volumes. These books will prove valuable to philosophy teachers and their students as well as to other readers who share a general interest in philosophy.