Abstract

This book is an exemplary study of a relatively narrow yet critically important part of Leibniz's thought. It is organized around two main axes. First, Kulstad offers a careful analysis of the concepts of apperception, consciousness, and reflection as they occur throughout Leibniz's philosophy, with particular emphasis on the New Essays and their relation to parallel themes in Locke. Second, he explores the connection between these concepts and Leibniz's attempt to establish a demarcation between the mental activity of animals and that of humans. Ideally, Leibniz's treatment of apperception should suggest how such a boundary can be drawn. In Kulstad's view, Leibniz succeeds in this to a considerable degree, although there remain underlying tensions which serve to complicate Leibniz's position.