We live in Leibniz’s world. And this is not an exaggeration. Leibniz created a proto-computer (an arithmometer, a simple device), but he also created a project of general computerization, surpassing even modern ideas and dreams. He created a language for computers – the binary system. He created the concept of a multitude of virtual realities. He described the principle of action of drones (although, of course, he would be upset by the modern ‘war of drones’). He expressed the possibility of creating a mechanical device, externally copying a person and performing all actions inherent to a person. But all this was rather a by-product. He was much more concerned with problems that we usually attribute to medieval philosophy. How can one reconcile predestination and free will? The existence of a just God and the presence of evil in the world? Is the soul immortal? But on the whole, these questions, perhaps in other formulations, continued and continue to interest philosophers. Without answers to these questions, modern technologies (the father of many of them can be considered Leibniz), carry a destructive character. The philosophy of Leibniz is a harmonious vision of spiritual and technological development, and this is what is most valuable for us in him. At the beginning of the course, I will give several introductory classes, and then there will be a ‘close reading’ of a number of Leibniz’s texts: Discourse on Metaphysics, On the Ultimate Origin of Things, Monadology, chapters from New Essays on Human Understanding and some others.

This is an introductory course for everyone who wants to engage with philosophy of Leibniz (although preliminary knowledge from the general course of philosophy would be beneficial). For a deeper study of philosophy of Leibniz, recommendations and literature will be given. The seminars will take place once a week, on Saturdays at 17:35 CET. They will last for several months, since our goal is not to go through a certain exhaustive program and assimilate a certain amount of information, but to learn to read Leibniz’s texts, the specific duration of the course may vary depending on the desire and the activity of participants.