Which principle governs Leibniz's necessary 'truths of reason,' and what is its distinguishing mark?
On Leibniz's mature account, contingent truths differ from necessary truths in that…
Leibniz's central argument that the true substances must be simple and unextended is that…
When Leibniz says the monads are 'windowless,' he means that…
How does pre-established harmony explain why a volition to raise the arm is matched by the arm's rising?
The Identity of Indiscernibles, which Leibniz derives from the Principle of Sufficient Reason, states that…
Why, according to Leibniz, did God create THIS world with all its evils?
In the New Essays, Leibniz answers Locke's blank-slate empiricism with the maxim 'nothing is in the intellect that was not in the senses, except…'. He completes it with, and defends, the claim that…
✍️ Open answer · AI-graded
Why does Leibniz conclude that this is the best of all possible worlds? Reconstruct the argument from the Principle of Sufficient Reason and God's perfection, and critically assess his theodicy in the face of evil.
What to cover: Derive the best-world thesis from sufficient reason plus omnipotence, wisdom, and goodness, and explain what makes a world 'best'. Then set out the three kinds of evil and the privation/permission moves, and weigh whether the theodicy succeeds.
Marking your answer — PhD-level feedback takes a moment…