Leibniz Slides notes Flashcards
Why was Leibniz’s life marked by the Thirty Years War
The war was Protestant vs. Catholic states. He had family on both sides
What century was Leibniz alive in?
Middle of 17th century to early 18th century
Where was Leibniz born?
Leipzig (Present-day Germany)
What was his job?
Courtier, diplomat
Is Leibniz an empiricist or a rationalist?
Rationalist (A priori knowledge)
What did Leibniz try to harmonize?
harmonize Enlightenment Rationalism with Christian Scholasticism
Attempts to result Descartes’ interaction problem in a _______ direction
conservative, theistic
What is a “monad”
- A simple substance
- No parts
- Enters into composites
Proof there must be monads
- There are composite, divisible things.
- They must be made of parts.
Metaphysical pluralism
Monads cannot be NATURALLY created (through its parts)
Nor can it be NATURALLY modified (again, no parts)
What does it mean that Monads “have no windows”
nothing from the outside can affect the Monads
A monad is only _____ or ______ by God
Created or destroyed
Who is the Super-Monad?
God
Proof Monads must have different qualities
(1) Otherwise they could not be distinguished from one another.
(2) Otherwise, composite things could not have different qualities/change.
How do monads change?
- Appetition
- Perception
- Apperception
Appetition
internal principle of change
Perception
That all monads register this change, passively
Apperception
SOME monads – souls – are actively conscious of their changes
Does he believe in free will? Why or why not?
He believed in free will. Monads change within themselves therefore the mind changes itself.
How many monads are in the body?
countless monads
How many monads are in the mind?
one monad
Proof that perception can’t be explained mechanically
The “Giant Machine” thought experiment thus, perceptions must be the “internal action” of a “simple substance”
“Giant Machine” thought experiment
Our brain is like a giant machine. If you went into it (magic school bus vibes), you would not see thoughts. You would see clockwork
Necessity (Principle of Sufficient Reason)
“The present state of a simple substance is the natural result of its precedent state, so much so that the present is pregnant with the future.”
All of the events now are sufficient to produce all the events in the next moment
Determinism
you’re determined from the internal order of your thoughts
Two kinds of truths
(1) Truths of Reason
(2) Truths of Fact
Truths of reason
Necessary; Opposite is impossible.
Ex: A triangle has 3 angles
Truths of fact
Not necessary; Opposite is possible
Ex: It will rain tomorrow
Truths of fact and sufficient reason
Sufficient Reasons go on forever
Requires GOD as ultimate sufficient reason
Where do Perfections and imperfections come from
Perfections come from God; Imperfections from the (finite) things themselves
(christian belief)
Which truths does god not choose
God does not choose eternal truths (math, geometry, etc.) by will.
Which truths does god choose
He chooses contingent truths (i.e., what happens) by will.
How does God choose to design the world?
- Based on his GOODNESS
- Principle of Fitness (Best of all possible worlds)
Do monads interact with each other?
No. They have space between them. They don’t touch.
Because monads don’t interact with each other, each must be ______.
each must be programmed (by God) to correlate with the other.
Souls vs Bodies
Souls: follow laws of Appetite, Final Causes
Bodies: Efficient (mechanical) Causes
Do the soul and body interact?
They don’t really interact. God’s “Pre-established harmony”
Also a pre-established harmony between ______ and _____
(1) The PHYSICAL realm of NATURE
(2) The MORAL realm of GRACE
So why do natural disasters happen?
Natural disasters arise when people need to be punished.
What about when the bad thrive and the good suffer?
Everyone gets what they deserve eventually. (heaven and hell)
Trust in God’s Providence.
Interaction problem: Descartes vs. Spinoza vs. Leibniz
Descartes: Cannot explain physical and mental things interacting.
Spinoza: All things obey physical (mechanistic) laws.
Leibniz: All things obey mental (teleological) laws of God.
