A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Leibniz and Spinozist Necessitarianism




AuthorsMaunu Ari

PublisherFranz Steiner Verlag

Publishing placeFranz Steiner Verlag

Publication year2017

JournalStudia Leibnitiana

Volume48

Issue2

Number of pages7

ISSN0039-3185

eISSN2366-228X

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/19028158


Abstract

It is sometimes argued that Leibniz’s metaphysical commitments lead to Spinozist Necessitarianism, i.e., the view, in Spinoza’s words, that “Things could not have been produced by God in any way or in any order other than that in which they have been produced”. Leibniz comments on this passage as follows: “This proposition may be true or false, depending on how it is explained”. I suggest in this paper that what Leibniz means by this comment can be fleshed out by making a distinction between what could have been actual and what is possible. I also address some potential objections to this distinction and attempt to elaborate it by means of comparing Leibniz’s and Alvin Plantinga’s approaches to modality.


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Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 11:40