Leibniz's Causal Road to Existential Independence

History of Philosophy & Logical Analysis 27 (1):93-120 (2023)
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Abstract

Leibniz thinks that every created substance is causally active, and yet causally independent of every other: none can cause changes in any but itself. This is not controversial. But Leibniz also thinks that every created substance is existentially independent of every other: it is metaphysically possible for any to exist with or without any other. This is controversial. I argue that, given a mainstream reading of Leibniz’s essentialism, if one accepts the former, uncontroversial interpretation concerning causal independence, then one ought also to accept the latter, controversial one concerning existential independence. This is a new way to defend the ‘existential independence’ interpretation. Moreover, this defense provides a new approach for defending the broadly ‘non-logical’ interpretive camp in the longstanding debate over Leibniz’s views on incompossibility, against perhaps the strongest objection leveled by advocates of the opposing broadly ‘logical’ interpretation.

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Tobias Flattery
Wake Forest University

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References found in this work

Leibniz: Body, Substance, Monad.Daniel Garber - 2009 - Oxford, GB: Oxford University Press.
Leibniz's philosophy of logic and language.Hidé Ishiguro - 1990 - New York: Cambridge University Press.
Leibniz' theory of relations.Massimo Mugnai - 1992 - Stuttgart: F. Steiner. Edited by Aloysio Temmik.

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