Monads and Machines
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Author: Pauline PhemisterPauline Phemister
Affiliation: University of EdinburghUniversity of Edinburgh
Source: Causation 1500-2000
Keywords: causation, Leibniz
Synopsis
Leibniz’s pre-established harmony advances a harmony between the realm of efficient causes and the realm of final causes. In the first, bodies act in accordance with mechanical laws of motion; in the second, minds or souls act according to what each perceives as being the best. Each realm is supposed to operate without interference from the other. Within the realm of bodies, Leibniz distinguishes living ‘machines of nature’ (organic bodies) from artificial machines. The former are constructed by divine wisdom through pre-formation which requires that they are ‘machines in the least of their parts’. In addition, each organic body must also possess a monad that is ‘dominant in the machine’. This paper explores the role of this monad ‘dominating in the machine’ in ensuring that the organic body is a machine ‘in the least of its parts’, but also questions whether its presence in the ‘machines of nature’ undermines the overall coherence of Leibniz’s account.
