Discourse on Metaphysics
E92348
Discourse on Metaphysics is a foundational philosophical treatise by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz that outlines his views on substance, God, free will, and the rational structure of reality.
Aliases (1)
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
metaphysical work
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philosophical treatise → work of philosophy → |
| author |
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
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|
| centralClaim |
God chooses the best of all possible worlds
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reality consists of individual substances expressing the whole universe from their point of view → there is a pre-established harmony between substances → |
| countryOfOrigin |
Holy Roman Empire
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|
| dateWritten |
circa 1686
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|
| genre |
metaphysics
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rationalist philosophy → |
| hasEnglishTranslation |
yes
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|
| historicalSignificance |
foundational exposition of Leibniz’s mature metaphysics
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key text in early modern debates on freedom and determinism → |
| influenced |
German idealism
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Immanuel Kant → subsequent metaphysics → |
| influencedBy |
Christian theology
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René Descartes → Scholastic philosophy → |
| mainTopic |
God
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causation → divine perfection → free will → grace → individual substances → miracles → pre-established harmony → rational structure of reality → substance → truth → |
| originalLanguage |
French
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|
| period |
17th century
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|
| philosophicalMethod |
a priori reasoning
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conceptual analysis → |
| philosophicalSchool |
continental rationalism
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|
| philosophicalTradition |
Leibnizian rationalism
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early modern philosophy → |
| positionOnFreeWill |
affirms human freedom as compatible with divine foreknowledge
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|
| positionOnGod |
God is a perfectly wise and good creator
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|
| positionOnSubstance |
substances are indivisible, enduring, and active
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|
| relatedWorkByAuthor |
Monadology
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New Essays on Human Understanding → Theodicy → |
| religiousContext |
Christian philosophy
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|
| structure |
series of numbered sections
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|
| titleInFrench |
Discours de métaphysique
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|
Referenced by (3)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
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|
notableWork |
|
identity of indiscernibles
("Leibnizian metaphysics")
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|
relatedConcept |
|
Monadology
→
|
relatedWork |