Monads, Composition and Force: Ariadnean Threads… will be made available by chapter on Avenue. Here is the Table of Contents.
Week 1 Sept 5 Introduction and overview
Week 2 Sept 12 First Thoughts: Language and Logic
Reading: Letter to Foucher [1675] (AG 1-5); Preface, & Samples of the Universal Characteristic (AG 5-18); “Meditations on Knowledge, Truth and Ideas” (AG 23-27); New Essays, Book 3 (Bennett-leibniz1705book3.pdf)
Arthur, Leibniz, 1. Introduction (online).
Arthur, Leibniz, 2. Logic, Language and the Encyclopedia Project (online).
Samuel Levey, "Logical Theory in Leibniz (2011)" (online).
Week 3 Sept 19 Mathematics, Contingency, and Moral Philosophy
Reading: From “The Theory of Abstract Motion” [1671] (LoC 339-343; online); “On Minimum and Maximum” [1672-3] (LLC 9-19; online); "On Freedom and Possibility" [1680-84] (AG 19-23); "On Contingency" [1689] (AG 28-30); “The Source of Contingent Truths” (AG 98-101); “On Freedom” (AG 94-98); “Dialogue on Human Freedom” (AG 111-117); Letter to Coste [1707] (AG 193-95).
Arthur, Leibniz, 4. Mathematical Philosophy.
Arthur, Leibniz, 8. Morals and Politics.
Presenting: Nathan Todd on freedom and contingency in Leibniz
Week 4 Sept 26 Natural Philosophy, Spinoza and the Reform of Metaphysics
Reading: “On Spinoza’s Ethics; and on the Infinite” [Feb 1676] (LLC 41; online); “Annotated Excerpts from Spinoza” [April 1676] (LLC 101-117; online); Letters to Arnauld [1686-87] (AG 69-90); “Comments on Spinoza’s Philosophy” (AG 272-281).
Arthur, Leibniz, 3. Natural Philosophy.
Arthur, Leibniz, 5. The Reform of Metaphysics.
Ohad Nachtomy, “A Tale of Two Thinkers” (online).
Presenting: Kathi Zinck on Leibniz's and Spinoza's notions of infinity
Week 5 Oct 3 Dynamics; Philosophy of Space and Time
Reading: “Space and Motion are Really Relations” [1677?], (LLC 224; online); “On Time, Place, Duration and Space” [c. 1686?] (LLC 334; online); “On Copernicanism and the Relativity of Motion” [1689] (AG 90-94); “Absolute and Relative Motion, from Letters to Huygens” [1694] (AG 307-09); “On Planetary Theory” [1690] (AG 309-12); “Against Barbaric Physics” [1710] (AG 312-20); Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence [1715-16] (AG 320-347).
Arthur, Leibniz, 6. Dynamics.
Arthur, Leibniz, 7. Philosophy of Space and Time
Presenting: Laura Kelly on Leibniz and spacetime relationalism
Midterm Break Oct 9-15
Week 6 Oct 17 On the Composition of Matter (intro, ch 1)
Reading: “On Primary Matter” [1670-1] (LLC 343-44) and “A Hypothesis of the System of the World” [1671] (LLC 344-5; both online here); “On the Secrets of the Sublime” [February 1676] (LLC 45-53; online); "On the Plenitude of the World” [1676] (LLC 59-63; online); “On Body, Space and the Continuum” [1676] (LLC 117-123; online); .
Arthur, Monads, Composition and Force (MCF), Introduction, and Chapter 1: Composition and division (both on Avenue).
Presenting: Hannah LaGrand on Leibniz's theory of apperception
Week 7 Oct 24 Leibniz on Aggregation and Constitution
Reading: “Metaphysical Definitions…” [1678-81] (LLC 236-257; online); ; “There is no such thing as One Body” [c. 1678-9?] (LLC 257-8; online); “Created Things are Actually Infinite” [1678-81] (LLC 234; online); “A Body is not a Substance” [1678-9?] (LLC 259-261; online); Letter to the Electress Sophie [1705] (online); .
Arthur, MCF, 2. Aggregation, body and substance (on Avenue).
Donald Rutherford, “Leibniz’s ‘Analysis of Multitude and Phenomena into Unities and Reality’”, J. Hist. Phil. 28: 4, 1990 (available through the library's e-resources).
Week 8 Oct 31 Leibniz on Atoms and Substance
Reading: “Wonders Concerning the Nature of Corporeal Substance” [March 1683] (LLC 263-265; online); “Annotated Excerpts from Cordemoy” [1685] (LLC 275-283; online); "Primary Truths" [1689] (AG 30-34).
Arthur, MCF, 3. Atoms and Souls (on Avenue).
Andreas Blank, “Sennert and Leibniz on Animate Atoms” (online). (*New pdf version)
Week 9 Nov 7 Leibniz's Rehabilitation of Forms
Reading: “Discourse on Metaphysics” [1686] (AG 35-68); “A Specimen of Discoveries” [c. 1689] (online).; "New System of Nature” (AG 138-145).
Arthur, MCF, 4. Forms and the Scholastic tradition (on Avenue). Also, read the newly minted Glossary of Scholastics and Atomists.
Week 10 Nov 14 Leibniz's Metaphysics of Motion
Reading: Browse these as you wish: “On Motion and Matter” [April 1676], (LLC 75-83; online; “Pacidius to Philalethes: A First Philosophy of Motion” [1678-81] (LLC 127-221; online); “Motion is Something relative” [1677] (LLC 228; online); “Motion is not Something Absolute” [1687?] (LLC 352; online); "Notes on Foucher's Objections" [1695] ( (AG 145-47).
Arthur, MCF, 5. Motion, relativity and force (on Avenue)
Samuel Levey, “The Interval of Motion in Leibniz’s Pacidius Philalethi,” Noûs 37 (2003), 371-416. (online).
Presenting: Jason Coutts: Leibniz on Animate Atoms
Week 11 Nov 21 Corporeal substance; dynamics
Reading: “A Specimen of Dynamics” [1694](AG 117-138); "On Nature Itself" (AG 155-67; Letters to de Volder [1699-1706] (AG 171-86); "On the Nature of Body and the Laws of Motion" [1678-82] (AG 245-250); “On Body and Force, Against the Cartesians” [1702] (AG 250-256).
[re-read Arthur, Leibniz, 6. Dynamics if necessary.]
Arthur, MCF, 6. Passive force and corporeal substance (on Avenue); §§1-2 only.
Presenting: Rod McNeil: Leibniz and Aristotle on nature acting towards ends
Week 12 Nov 28 Continuity of existence through time
Reading: "There is no Perfect Shape in Bodies"[1697] (online); "On the Ultimate Origination of Things" [1697] (AG 149-155); “Metaphysical Foundations of Mathematical Things” [1714] (online);
Arthur, MCF, 7. Continuous existence (on Avenue).
Samuel Levey, "Dans les corps il n'y apoint de figure parfaite: Leibniz on Time, Change, and Corporeal Substance”.
Week 13 Dec 5 Leibniz’s Mature Metaphysics & Posterity
Reading: Letters to Des Bosses [1712-16] (AG 197-206); on Berkeley (AG 306-07); Letter to Queen Sophie Charlotte [1702] (AG 186-92); Letters to Countess Elisabeth and to Molanus [1678, 1679?] (AG 235-45); "The Monadology” [1714] (AG 213-25).
Brandon Look and Don Rutherford, “Introduction", sections 1, 6-9, of the The Leibniz-Des Bosses Correspondence (online).
Arthur, MCF, §6.3 + Conclusion (also on Avenue).
Arthur, Leibniz, 9. Leibnizian Posterity.