Syllabus

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) was a polymath. He was a diplomat, scientist, theologian, engineer, mathematician, and philosopher. Like his predecessors, Descartes and Spinoza, Leibniz was a rationalist and a system builder. The problem is that he never really wrote a single philosophical treatise that could be considered his defining work. Rather, he wrote a series of shorter pieces that reflect his changing views and sometimes even conflict with one another. In this course we will try to proceed through the labyrinth of Leibniz’s writings in a systematic way. We will attempt to reconstruct his system but at the same time recognize that the overall nature and details of the system changed over time. We will begin with the problem of theodicy and the principle of sufficient reason, and then proceed through the main elements of his metaphysics: from monads to bodies to the principle of pre-established harmony to God, and then to the idea of the best of all possible worlds.

The course will be a mix of lecture and discussion. The readings will be mostly primary texts, supplemented by some secondary readings. Students will be asked to answer and turn in weekly reading questions, to write two short papers over the quarter, and to take a final, in-class exam. A term paper will be required for graduate students and optional for undergraduates with instructor permission.

1. Weekly Reading Questions: Each week at the beginning of class on Tuesday students will be required to submit a brief answer to either (a) a question posed by the instructor, or (b) a question posed by the student. (Please note: the first set of notes will be due on Tuesday, April 7^th.) Your answer must be typed and the minimum length of notes must be at least one typed page (approximately 250 words). There is no maximum length. Students receive 10 points for each assignment adequately completed; 5 points for an assignment inadequately completed or late; and 2 extra points (for a total of 12) can be given to those assignments deemed excellent by the instructor. You will be given 10 points as a starting credit. This assignment is worth 100 points total and a minimum of 60 points is required to pass this assignment.

2. Short Papers: Each student will be required to write two short papers (4-6 pages in length). For each essay, you will be able to choose your topic from several options. The first paper is due on Thursday, 4/23 at the beginning of class. The second paper is due on Tuesday, 5/19 at the beginning of the class. Late papers will be automatically penalized 15 points for every 24 hours it is late after the due date. Please note: I will not accept papers sent by fax or e-mail. I need to receive a printed copy of the paper. Each paper will be graded and is worth a maximum of 100 points. The passing grade for each paper is 53 points.

3. Final Exam. Students will be required to take a final, in-class exam on Wednesday, June 10^th at 10:30-12:20pm in MEB 251. This will be a closed book exam. All material from the assigned readings as well as class lectures will be the subject of the exam. No make-up exams will be given except in documented cases of illness or death of a family member. Please bring a blue book. The exam is worth 100 points and the minimum passing grade is 53 points.

4. Term Paper Option (required for graduate students; instructor permission required for other students who wish to take this option). Instead of two, short papers, you will write a longer paper (12-15 pages in length) on a topic of your choosing. Please note that the topic of the paper must be approved by the instructor. This paper is due at 12pm on Monday, June 8^th in the philosophy department office. The paper will be worth a maximum of 200 points and a minimum of 106 points is required to pass.

Final Grade: Your final grade will be computed on the basis of the assignments you have turned in. There is a total possible point score of 400 points. Below you will find a conversion table. The first column represents total points for the course. The second column represents the grade for a single paper. The third column represents the approximate letter grade equivalent. And the fourth column is the UW grading-scale equivalent. (Please note that while I will use this table as a basis for the final grades in the course I reserve the right to make adjustments to it in the service of fairness.)

392-400                   98-100                     A+                          4.0
372-391                   93-97                       A                             3.9-3.7
356-371                   89-92                       A-                           3.6-3.5
340-355                   85-88                       B+                           3.4-3.2
324-339                   81-84                       B                            3.1-2.8
308-323                   77-80                       B-                           2.7-2.5
292-307                   73-76                       C+                          2.4-2.2
276-291                   69-72                       C                             2.1-1.8
260-275                   65-68                       C-                           1.7-1.5
244-259                   61-64                       D+                           1.4-1.2
228-243                   57-60                       D                            1.1-.8
212-227                   53-56                       D-                            .7
0-211                         0-52                       F                              0.0

Nota Bene: (1) Cheating in any form (including plagiarism, of course) will result in automatic referal to the Dean’s office. You are assumed to understand the university rules concerning inappropriate academic conduct. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the instructor.

(2) In order to pass this course students must satisfy both of the following requirements: (a) earn a minimum of 212 points total; and (b) complete satisfactorily (i.e., pass) three of the four graded components of this course. The four graded components of the course are: (i) weekly reading notes; (ii) the first paper; (iii) the second paper; and (iv) the final exam. For example, a student who passes the weekly reading notes assignments, as well as one paper, but who fails one paper and the final, will not pass the course. Absolutely no exceptions will be made to this policy.

The following texts are required and are available for purchase in the college bookstore:

Leibniz, G.W. Philosophical Essays. Translated by Roger Ariew and Daniel Garber. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co., 1989.

Leibniz, G. W. Leibniz: Political Writings. [PW] Edited by Patrick Riley. 2^nd Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.

Tu 3/31 Introduction

Th 4/2 Discourse on Metaphysics §1-3 (35-37)

On Freedom (96-97)

Dialogue on Freedom and Evil (111-117)

Principles of Nature and Grace §8 (210)

Monadology §32 (217)

Week 2: Monads

Tu 4/7 Discourse on Metaphysics §§8-13 (40-48)

Letters to Arnauld (69-77)

Th 4/9 Principles of Nature and Grace §§1-6 (206-210)

Monadology §§1-27 (213-216)

Week 3: Bodies and Relations

Tu 4/14 Discourse on Metaphysics §§17-22 (49-55)

Letters to Arnauld (77-90)

A Specimen of Dynamics (117-130)

Th 4/16 Letters to Des Bosses (197-206)

Principles of Nature and Grace §6 (209)

Monadology §§48-53, 62-73 (219-222)

Week 4: The Principle of Pre-established Harmony

Tu 4/21 Discourse on Metaphysics §14 (46-7), §33 (64-5)

New System (143-45)

Postscript of a Letter (147-49)

Th 4/23 [First Paper Due]

Monadology §§56-7 (220)

Week 5: God

Tu 4/28 Letter to Countess Elizabeth (237-8)

Discourse on Metaphysics §§1-8 (35-40), §§35-36 (66-68)

Th 4/30 Principles of Nature and Grace §§8-9 (210)

Monadology §§38-51 (218-219)

Week 6: Best of All Possible Worlds

Tu 5/5 Discourse on Metaphysics §5 (38-9)

Th 5/7 Principles of Nature and Grace §10 (210-1)

Monadology §§54-59 (220)

Week 7: Freedom

Tu 5/12 On Freedom and Possibility (19-23)

Discourse on Metaphysics §13 (44-46), §§30-32 (60-64)

On Freedom (94-98)

Th 5/14 Letter to Coste, on Human Freedom (193-196)

Dialogue on Freedom and Evil (111-117)

Comments on Spinoza (280-81)

Week 8: Theodicy Again

Tu 5/19 [Second Paper Due]

Excerpts from the Theodicy (photocopy handout)

Th 5/21 Voltaire’s Parody (photocopy handout)