Understanding Individual Substances: Leibniz's Metaphysical Framework

The Rationalists: Leibniz Individual Substances Soazig Le Bihan - University of Montana

1. Introduction Outline 2. Individual Substances and Predication 3. Individual Substances as the fundamental constituents 4. Individual Substances are ``self contained” 5. Individual Substances and their Substantial Form 6. Individual Substances: Independent Mirrors 7. Pre-established Harmony 8. Conclusion Soazig Le Bihan - University of Montana

Review: Leibniz: Rationalism • Epistemology: • Granted to the empiricist: empirical knowledge • Against the empiricist: knowledge of eternal truths • Granted to the empiricist: senses as necessary triggers • Against the empiricist: ultimately grounded in pure reason • Compromise, but still eternal truths • Two kinds of truths: • Necessary Truths – Contradiction • Contingent Truths – Sufficient Reason • Contingency exists, not chance Soazig Le Bihan - University of Montana

Review: Leibniz: Theodicy • Starting Point of Leibniz’ philosophy: • God is absolutely perfect • Hence the world is perfect • Perfect in which sense? • God’s Freedom is enlightened, not arbitrary • Perfection = minimal means, maximal complexity •  The best possible world • Challenge: Design a worldview which makes sense of the traditional view of God Soazig Le Bihan - University of Montana

Introduction: Leibniz: Metaphysics • The dangers of the modern reductionism • Descartes: matter = extension and movement • Spinoza: one single substance •  Materialism, necessitarianism, atheism • The conceptual problems within modern reductionism: • Individuation • Freedom with teleology • Moral responsibility • These are the desiderata for a good metaphysical account of the universe for Leibniz Soazig Le Bihan - University of Montana

Previous notions of substance • self-sufficient being (Spinoza) • what remains constant under changes (wax) Individual Substances and Predication • Substance as the subject of predication • What is predication? Assign a predicate to a subject • Jalisco is a cat • From language to metaphysics • Substances are these beings which are referred to by subjects which cannot be predicated • Which are they? • The fundamental constituents of the world are individual particulars Soazig Le Bihan - University of Montana

Individual Substances as the Fundamental Constituents of the Universe • Taking seriously the notion of substance: • Unique individuals – Principle of Identity of Indiscernibles • Indivisible – ultimate elements • Immutable – except by God • Depend only on God – emanation from God • Unique and stable building blocks of the universe Soazig Le Bihan - University of Montana

Requirements for a satisfactory metaphysics: • Fundamental constituents • Recover appearances Individual Substances as Self-Contained Problem: How come that individual substances appear to undergo accidental changes? Solution: Self-containment The complete notion of an individual substances contains all the predicates that the substance has had, has and will have Examples? • Complete notion. In principle, complete comprehension is possible. But what does define an individual substance? Soazig Le Bihan - University of Montana

Individual Substances defined by their Substantial Form • The old notion of substantial form: • Crucial notion for Aristotle and the Scholastics • Example: the socrates-hood of Socrates •  What makes something what it is Despised by modern philosopher: vacuous explanation • Defended by Leibniz for metaphysics: • vacuous explanation in physics - clock • necessary in metaphysics – unity and individuation • Every individual substance has an intrinsic principle of unity and individuation. Soazig Le Bihan - University of Montana

Individual Substances as Independent Mirrors of the Universe Requirements for a satisfactory metaphysics Problem: The appearance that each substance interact with the external world? Solution: Mirrors of the Universe Each individual substance expresses the entirety of the universe from its own perspective Analogy: movie theater • So: each substance actively unfold itself, i.e. expresses the entire universe from its unique perspective. • Pb: why are our movies consistent with one another? Soazig Le Bihan - University of Montana

Requirements for a satisfactory metaphysics Pre-established Harmony Problem: Correlations between our world – causal connections Are we watching movies independently or acting in the same movie? Solution: Pre-established Harmony - Correlations: direct causal influence vs. synchronization - Super synchronization by God’s decree Analogy • Appearance of causality: • Causality is an illusion • Causal Influences: restriction/expansion of the domain of expression Soazig Le Bihan - University of Montana

Fundamental Level: Independent, self-contained, unique, indivisible and immutable substances emanating from God: • Each possesses an intrinsic principle of unity • Each expresses the entire universe from its unique perspective • All perspectives are synchronized Conclusion on Leibniz’ Metaphysics Phenomenal Level: Well grounded illusion of a causal order between interacting systems in a common, material world. Soazig Le Bihan - University of Montana

Understanding Individual Substances: Leibniz's Metaphysical Framework