Leibniz’s transcendental aesthetic

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

This essay I argue that for Leibniz, bodies, are in an important sense not geometrical. Instead, I will argue, geometrical extension, which Leibniz characterizes as “ideal” and radically distinct from concrete reality, is something external to the concrete world of bodies which we apply to them. As part of the argument I will explore the sense in which continuous extension is ideal for Leibniz, and why, for him, it is metaphysically impossible that real bodies could instantiate continuous extension.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationTrends in the History of Science
PublisherSpringer
Pages231-254
Number of pages24
DOIs
StatePublished - 2015

Publication series

NameTrends in the History of Science
ISSN (Print)2297-2951
ISSN (Electronic)2297-296X

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • History and Philosophy of Science
  • Applied Mathematics

Keywords

  • Continuous extension
  • Eternal truth
  • Passive force
  • Primary matter
  • Substantial form

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