The perspectivism and the Leibnizs project of conciliation of Philosophies

Author(s)

Celi Hirata

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD)
• Defense date: 2008-06-30

Examining board members

Luís César Guimarães Oliva; José Eduardo Marques Baioni; Franklin Leopoldo e Silva

• Advisor: Luís César Guimarães Oliva

Abstract

Willing to found metaphysics toward right knowledge, Descartes denies the preceding Philosophy history on the basis that the plurality of opinions and disputes this Philosophy holds is not acceptable under the unity of true and reason. As a result, Philosophy cannot evolve toward the future unless by breaking up with the past, a rupture that operates by way of the methodic doubt. Leibniz, in contrast, advocates that the evolution of knowledge toward the discovery of new truths can and should resume what was established antecedently. This is so because, unlike Descartes, the author of Monadology conceives the plurality-unity relationship in a different way, which one has the privilege to infer from his thesis that each monad or created being represents the entire universe from a certain perspective. Now, since all representations have the same referent the world , all are true and harmonic in relation to each other, and thus what varies is how the world is represented, i.e., the degrees of distinction in the representation. Therefore, the plurality of philosophic systems results in differences (where one is more perfect than another and certain parts are more relevant than others within a system) but not in a radical heterogeneity. Indeed, precisely without considering that some convenience underlies the diversity of philosophies, one cannot attempt to conciliate them in what would be the best in them, i.e., if an irreducible heterogeneity does exist, as Descartes proposes, then there is no point of convergency. Therefore, in order to apprehend how this project of conciliation of philosophies is possible, this paper will address the thesis that each monad represents the entire universe from a certain perspective, with an emphasis on Leibnizs notions of spirit, knowledge, and system (AU)