This work investigates how Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz developed a naturalized theory of mind through his specific metaphysical and theological commitments. Author Larry M. Jorgensen, a scholar of early modern philosophy, examines the historical context of Leibniz’s work to argue that his methodology was rooted in the principle that an object's properties are fully explicable by its inherent nature. By contrasting Leibniz’s seventeenth-century framework with contemporary naturalized theories of mind, Jorgensen demonstrates that Leibniz’s approach was both rigorous and distinct from modern materialist perspectives.

Scholars and students of early modern philosophy frequently note the academic density of the prose and the precision of Jorgensen's historical reconstruction. Experts highlight this as a significant contribution to understanding the evolution of naturalism in the history of philosophy.