Philosophy includes many currents and trends. Each scientist somehow explained the relevant categories for his time in his own way. Leibniz's theory of monads is part of dialectics - the doctrine of the constant development, movement and variability of the world. A well-known philosopher, a representative of the German school, believed that the world is based on God and the mind that he created. It is the mind of God that gives content to matter and becomes the source of its development.
What is a monad?
According to Leibniz, the whole world can be divided down to the smallest elements - monads. A monad is a special substance, characterized by simplicity, which is a part of a more complex element. This component of the world does not have extension, it does not arise and does not die in a natural way, it simply exists. Leibniz argued that the monad in philosophy is a substance endowed with the principle of activity and force. This principle can be explained in terms of teleology (universal subordination to ultimate goals) andtheology. In this regard, there is an idea that the Universe, generated by God, is also constantly directed by him towards self-improvement and development of rich forms.
Monad is studied by philosophers as a particle, which is united with the infinite cosmos. Leibniz, as a representative of dialectics, put forward the idea that nature is a set of connections between everything and everything, since the entire Universe is represented by a monad. The philosophical direction demonstrates the connections of individual individual substances with the large surrounding world.
Characteristics of the substance
All objects can be divided into monads. Their existence is confirmed by the complex things that surround us and which we can learn in a practical way, having gained some experience. The philosophical principle says that any complex thing must consist of simple ones. For Leibniz, the monad is a spiritual atom that has no parts and is characterized by non-materiality. The fact that these elements are simple means that they are not subject to decay and cessation of existence, like all other mortal substances.
The gates of monads are closed, and due to this isolation, they do not affect others, and they, in turn, do not affect them. They circulate in space independently of each other. This principle is not characteristic of the highest monad - God, who gives life to all other elements and harmonizes their internal state. The pre-established harmony between simple substances is a living mirror image of the universe. In spite ofits simplicity, a monad in philosophy is a phenomenon that has its own internal structure and a plurality of states. Such a state or perception cannot exist by itself, unlike particles of complex elements, and this confirms the simplicity of substances. Perceptions are both conscious and unconscious. The second state is possible due to the small size of monads.
Monad and soul
Leibniz had his own anthropological views on this matter. The scientist believed that people's actions can be subject to unconscious influence. He also argued that monads and their states are constantly changing. The reason for this is the internal activity of such an element.
For Leibniz the human soul is the most important monad. In philosophy, this direction is called monadology - reflection on the root cause of the physical interaction between things. The human soul is just one of the levels of substance.
Basic provisions of monadology
The entire Universe can be divided into a large number of elements that are not of a dualistic nature, as Descartes and Spinoza wrote, but continuously one.
Monad is one, if you look at the translation from Greek. It is distinguished by simplicity, indivisibility and has no material basis.
A monad is characterized by four qualities: aspiration, attraction, perception and representation.
The essence of this element is activity, activity. He is one and constantly changing hisperception.
Continuity of existence enables the monad to be aware of itself.
This substance is completely closed and dependent on others like her.
Types of monads according to Leibniz
Leibniz, summarizing all his thoughts, divides monads into 4 classes:
- The naked monad is the one that is the basis of the life of inorganic beings (stones, earth, minerals).
- Animal monad - from the name it is clear to whom it is characteristic. She has sensations, but her self-awareness is completely undeveloped.
- The human monad or soul is a rational substance. It has consciousness, memory and a unique ability - thinking. A person can cognize the world, surrounding things, moral laws, values and eternal truths.
- The highest level of the monad is God.
Leibniz argued that all monads, except for the fourth class, have a connection with the body. The life of beings is connected with two processes - expansion at birth and contraction at death, which, in principle, the body, as a set of monads, cannot destroy. Under the body, he understood the country of monads, which is ruled by an ideal leader - the soul. Since the philosopher was an idealist, he generally denied the existence of matter, and in connection with this, the corporeal shell.
Conclusion on Monadology
The class of a monad indicates the degree of its rationality and freedom - the higher it is, the higher these characteristics. Leibniz's theory can be extended to the whole world, to its most remote corners, to all surrounding objects. Each monad is individual,unique, having its own properties, having its own character of development.
