Leibniz’s Life
Monadology Basics
Types of Monads
Criticism
100

Where was Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz born?

Leipzig, Germany

100

What are the basic building blocks of reality in Leibniz’s theory?

Monads

100

Do monads interact with each other?


No.

100

What's wrong with a rock as a Monad?

What can it possibly mean for a rock to perceive?

200

Leibniz co-invented this major branch of mathematics.

Calculus

200

What year did Leibniz write Monadology?

1714

200

What are Bare Monads?

Lowest level, minimal awareness (e.g. material objects)

200

Which philosopher mocked Leibniz’s idea of “the best of all possible worlds”?

Voltaire

300

Leibniz’s dream was to create a universal ________ 

Language

300

What is the name of the idea that God synchronized all monads perfectly?

Pre-established harmony

300

What are Sensitive Monads?

Perceive but lack reasoning (e.g. animals) 

300

This philosopher argued causality comes from observation, not monads.

David Hume

400

What age age did Leibniz start reading advanced Latin and Greek texts?

12 years old

400

How do monads differ from atoms?

They are not affected by outside forces and do not physically interact with anything else.

400

What are Rational Monads?

(Souls) Have reasoning and self-awareness (e.g. humans) 

400

What's the issue of Monads containing everything?

If every monad contains everything, what’s the need for multiple monads?

500

What is Leibniz’s optimistic claim that God chose the most balanced version of the universe?

"The best of all possible worlds"

500

What is the mind and body problem?

Asks how something non-physical like the mind can interact with the physical body.

500

What is the supreme Monad? 

(God) The highest monad, omniscient and responsible for the harmony of all other monads 

500

What did Kant say about Leibniz’s view on space and time?

Kant believed space and time are a priori forms of human intuition, not relations between monads.

M
e
n
u