Organicism and perspectivism from Leibniz to Hegel : on Mensch's Kant's Organicism

The combination of the title and subtitle of Kant's Organicism: Epigenesis and Development of Critical Philosophy (University of Chicago Press, 2013) may be surprising at first. The term "organicism," in its broad meaning, might refer to a philosophical account which views the universe and its parts as organic wholes and"”either by analogy or literally"”as living organisms. Featuring in the title of a book on Kant, however, it seems to suggest that the term is being used in a distinctive sense. Notions such as "epigenesis," "development," and "critical philosophy," on the other hand, have much more specific meanings, which seem to refer both to the history of the philosophy of science ("epigenesis") and to the history of philosophy per se, with the term "critical philosophy" used to refer to Kant's groundbreaking revolution in philosophy and, one might expect, to those perspectives that arose from, or built on, the Kantian legacy. Mensch's book guides us in a journey whereby the terms and contexts introduced in the title and subtitle are effectively brought together. Kant's Organicism is an ambitious book"”but also a book that ultimately delivers on its ambition.