180193 SE Leibniz reads Locke (2023S)

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) notes, perhaps as early as 1695, while reading John Locke’s ESSAY OF HUMANE UNDERSTANDING: “I find so many signs of an unusually deep insight in what Mr. Locke has presented to us on the human mind and education, and I consider the subject so important that I thought I would make good use of the time in devoting it to such useful reading, especially as I myself have thought a great deal about what constitutes the foundations of our knowledge.” - The result of this philosophical engagement is a book written in dialogue form, which was only published posthumously in 1765 by Rudolf Erich Raspe. It is a particularly interesting example of how an ‘empiricist’ point of view is analysed from the point of view of a ‘rationalist’ philosopher. One might assume that the different points of view would make understanding impossible, but this is only partly the case.
Leibniz, who at the time of writing had already achieved a well-developed metaphysical system, provides in this work profound and critical stances to Locke’s views on topics such as the concept of person, free will, mind-body dualism, necessary truths and innate ideas. Nevertheless, this book is not a mere polemic, but an attempt to get one step closer to the truth. The NOUVEAUX ESSAIS SUR L’ENTENDEMENT HUMAIN is, along with his THÉODICÉE published in 1710, a second major work by Leibniz that may help us understand the central arguments of his thought.

This is an introductory seminar to Leibniz’s NEW ESSAYS ON HUMAN UNDERSTANDING. We will proceed thematically and cover topics that illustrate the different outcomes of John Locke’s and Leibniz’s metaphysics. To build up a regular habit of writing, students will keep a Learning Journal and note their development throughout the seminar. One of our concerns will be the question what it means to read a philosophical text charitably but also critically.

Method: Preparatory reading of selected sections from the NEW ESSAYS, joint weekly discussions in class. Guidance to writing a seminar thesis.

IMPORTANT: The format of the written seminar paper corresponds to the specifications that apply to a fictive short submission to the JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: max. length of 2,500 words (including abstract and references). Students are also encouraged to adhere to the formal requirements of a real-life philosophical journal.