Abstract
This article tackles the issue of determinism in Leibniz. In particular, it is a matter of investigating how the problem of the labyrinth of freedom and need is elaborated in “Discours de Métaphysique” and developed in “Monadologie”. We have tried to demonstrate that the solution outlined by Leibniz, i.e., the exit from this labyrinth, is what liberates the political and moral practice in the author’s work. This practice is related to the possibility for men to think of the issue of justice, i.e., the issue of the science of Law.
Highlights
Leibniz déconcerte par l’étendue de son savoir
Harnessing an extremely conflicted time that has been rich in discoveries, such as troubled times often are – by the time he was born, the Thirty Years’ War had not been over yet, the Germanic Roman Empire was only a set of discontinuous territories and principalities, and Catholicism counteracted the strong criticism suffered by the Protestant Reformation2 – Leibniz has been greatly influenced by the development of science in the 17th century and strongly participated in all metaphysical discussions of his time
This reaction was caused by the feeling that “Mr Bayle ‘fait entrer partout’ the matter of use of philosophy in theology.”8 As a result, the theme of the relation between faith and reason will appear throughout Leibniz’ work: the author will try to demonstrate that, contrary to what Bayle says – making faith triumph over reason,9 – reason can, without addressing the details of natural phenomena, explain the positive truths by considering the convenience that justifies the choice of these laws and their suspension at the time of the miracle
Summary
Leibniz déconcerte par l’étendue de son savoir. Il faudrait tout connaître pour le lire: théologie, métaphysique, logique, mathématique, physique, chimie, paléontologie, biologie, histoire religieuse, civile, politique, jurisprudence, linguistique, etc. Leibniz even writes in the preface to Theodicy Essays, published in 1710, that the production of a text discussing one of the labyrinths of human reason, “namely: the labyrinth of the free and the necessary, regarding the production and origin of evil” was owed to the comments and conversations with people of the court about this book This reaction was caused by the feeling that “Mr Bayle ‘fait entrer partout’ the matter of use of philosophy in theology.” As a result, the theme of the relation between faith and reason will appear throughout Leibniz’ work: the author will try to demonstrate that, contrary to what Bayle says – making faith triumph over reason,9 – reason can, without addressing the details of natural phenomena, explain the positive truths by considering the convenience that justifies the choice of these laws and their suspension at the time of the miracle.. The path, takes place in three stages: in the first, we discuss the labyrinth of Free and Necessary, in the second, the exit from the labyrinth, and Leibniz’s critique of modern Natural Law
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