With this book, Justin Smith turns the world of Leibniz scholarship upside down. Others have argued for the centrality of Leibniz's views on language and logic, or on physics and mathematics, or on theology, but Smith shows us how to read this key figure in the history of modern thought through his biology. This learned, original, and exciting book is obligatory reading for anyone interested in the origins of modern philosophy.—Daniel Garber, Princeton University"I can not overstate how important Divine Machines is to Leibniz studies and the history of early modern philosophy and science. There is so much material here, so many sources, so many arguments, so many connections made, that even as I write this I am distracted by thoughts of the many avenues of research Smith has opened up to the rest of us. Divine Machines is a watershed moment."—Gideon Manning, California Institute of Technology"Smith's book is the first comprehensive, full-length study in English dedicated to Leibniz's philosophy of biology. He provides a very broad and detailed historical context for a fuller understanding of Leibniz's place in the history of the life sciences. Smith has uncovered and drawn upon many of Leibniz's own texts which have been understudied or even unused by other scholars. The scholarship is exemplary."—Karen Detlefsen, University of Pennsylvania