“ Monadology” was written by Leibniz. Below, what I learned by reading this text.
- The “monad” has no parts.
- It is simple, and enters into the composition of other substances.
- If there is not something that can not be divided, it is not possible to explain the multiplicity of compound things.
- There must be something that can not be divided.
- Being simple, the spiritual units were not formed: or they always existed or “appeared.”
- In this case, they have miraculously appeared and also miraculously disappear.
- The famous statement that spiritual units “have no windows” must be understood in the sense that nothing enters or leaves the monad, being simple.
- If it is simple, it is totally compact in itself: it does not receive an addition and it can not be subtracted.
- The problem with the atom of Democritus is that it does not explain the qualitative differences between beings and substances, since Democritus conceptualized atoms as different only in format.
- Although the monad can not be destroyed but miraculously, it is subject to becoming.
- Monads change because of an inner quality: if they can not receive addition or subtraction, the monad changes alone, without an external agent.
- Mechanism, the idea that natural phenomena can be explained by analogy to products of human artifice does not explain perception.
- There are unconscious perceptions: if we only perceive, for example, sounds while conscious, how can the noise wake us from sleep?
- The monad does not correspond to the soul.
- To arouse prudence (“attainment” in Leibniz), several impressions are not necessary: a traumatic experience, even one, can produce the same effect as several small bad experiences.
- What differs from other animals is the ability to do science, not simply reason.
- Classically, “soul” is the principle of movement, whereas “spirit” is only the rational part of the soul.
- There are two kinds of truth: reason (a priori, “every bachelor is an unmarried one”) and those in fact (a posteriori, “something happened in such and such a way”).
- The truths of reason are necessary and can not be otherwise, the truths of fact are contingent and can be otherwise.
- There are truths that do not need proof.
- God exists.
- We see that the material world is contingent, that is, subject to generation and corruption.
- The world can only have its origin in a necessary being, something that must exist and that always existed.
- God has perfect understanding, so He can only make good choices.
- Spiritual things follow formal and final causes.
- Physical things follow material and efficient causes.
- Enduring the bad consequences of sin are, in themselves, a form of repentance: suffering is the best way to learn your lesson.
- There is no action without consequences.