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Last update: Mgr. Eva Mokrejšová (04.12.2019)
We will proceed from examining contemporary renderings of the issue with all their misconceptions and dead ends to meticulous reading of Leibniz’s own formulations accompanied by thought provoking commentaries, building gradually understanding and appreciation for subtleties of Leibniz’s original account. Full philosophical import of the doctrine will be shown to encompass both challenging criteria of what does it mean for something to be real and what does it mean to “differ only in number”. Though historical method will be pursued while delving deep into layers Leibniz’s text, our focus will remain rather systematic throughout the entire exploratory enterprise: by trying to appropriate Leibniz’s elusive insights, we will testify the limits of our own conceptual resources, paving therewith way for their effective critique. In this respect especially logic of reference and correlated notion of an entity will be subject to thorough scrutiny. |
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Last update: Mgr. Matěj Veselský (15.05.2020)
Students will be expected to attend all meetings and read suggested literature: texts listed under the heading “Main reading” are mandatory, auxiliary literature is only optional. Only two unexcused absences are allowed. Every student, who wants an attest, will prepare at least one presentation - group presentations are possible, if the number of students exceeds the number of presentations during the course. An oral examination will follow immediately after the last session of the course in which a student will have to answer two questions: the first one interpretive, regarding some mandatory title from the bibliography, the second one systematic, testing his or her understanding of the PII. A final grade will depend exclusively upon students’ performance during the exam. Actualisation: the oral examination will take place via Skype . |
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Last update: Mgr. Eva Mokrejšová (04.12.2019)
Adams, Robert Merrihew (1999). Leibniz: Determinist, Theist, Idealist. Oup Usa. Anapolitanos, Dionysios A. (1999). Leibniz: Representation, Continuity and the Spatiotemporal. Studia Leibnitiana 31 (2):215-217. Bassler, O. Bradley (1998). Leibniz on the Indefinite as Infinite. Review of Metaphysics 51 (4):849 - 874. Bar-Elli, Gilead (1982). Identity and the Formation of the Notion of Object. Or: The Identity of Indiscernibles: A Synthetic a Priori. Erkenntnis 17 (2):229 - 248. Black, Max (1952). The identity of indiscernibles. Mind 61 (242):153-164 Boolos, George (1984). To be is to be a value of a variable (or to be some values of some variables). Journal of Philosophy 81 (8):430-449. Cook, Roy T. (2000). Monads and Mathematics: The Logic of Leibniz's Mereology. Studia Leibnitiana 32 (1):1 - 20. Forrest, Peter (2016). "The Identity of Indiscernibles", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = . Grene, M. & Ravetz, J. R. (1962). Leibniz's cosmic equation: A reconstruction. Journal of Philosophy 59 (6):141-146. Hacking, Ian (1975). The identity of indiscernibles. Journal of Philosophy 72 (9):249-256. Harmer, Adam (2014). Leibniz on Infinite Numbers, Infinite Wholes, and Composite Substances. British Journal for the History of Philosophy 22 (2):236-259. Ketland, Jeffrey (2006). Structuralism and the identity of indiscernibles. Analysis 66 (4):303- 315. Laycock, Henry (2006). Words without Objects. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Laycock, Henry (2004). “Variables, Generality and Existence”, in Paolo Valore (ed.), Topics on General and Formal Ontology, Milano: Polimetrica, 27-52. Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Philosophical Papers and Letters. Edited and translated by Leroy E. Loemker. 2d ed., Dordrect: D. Reidel, 1969. Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Die philosophischen Schriften. 7 vols. Edited by C. I. Gerhardt. Berlin, 1875-90. Reprint, Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1965. Lison, Elad (2006). The Philosophical Assumptions Underlying Leibniz's Use of the Diagonal Paradox in 1672. Studia Leibnitiana 38 (2):197 - 208. Look, Brandon (2002). On monadic domination in Leibniz's metaphysics. British Journal for the History of Philosophy 10 (3):379 - 399. Mates, Benson (1986). The Philosophy of Leibniz: Metaphysics and Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Mugnai, Massimo (2001). Leibniz on Individuation: From the Early Years to the "Discourse" and Beyond. Studia Leibnitiana 33 (1):36 - 54. Nichols, Ryan (1999). Space, Individuation and the Identity of Indiscernibles: Leibniz's Triumph Over Strawson. Studia Leibnitiana 31 (2):181-195. O'Connor, D. J. (1953). The Identity of Indiscernibles. Analysis 14 (5):103 - 110. Palkoska, Jan (2010). Substance and Intelligibility in Leibniz's Metaphysics. Franz Steiner. Quine, Willard V. (1948). On What There Is. Review of Metaphysics 2 (1):21-38. Quine, Willard V. (1969). Ontological Relativity and Other Essays. New York, Columbia University Press. 72 Rescher, Nicholas (1955). The identity of indiscernibles: A reinterpretation. Journal of Philosophy 52 (6):152-155. Rodriguez-Pereyra, Gonzalo (1999). Leibniz's Argument for the Identity of Indiscernibles in his Correspondence with Clarke. Australasian Journal of Philosophy 77 (4):429 - 438. Rodriguez-Pereyra, Gonzalo (2012). Leibniz’s Argument for the Identity of Indiscernibles in his Letter to Casati. The Leibniz Review 22:137-150. Russell, Bertrand (1900). A Critical Exposition of the Philosophy of Leibniz, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Whipple, John (2010). The Structure of Leibnizian Simple Substances. British Journal for the History of Philosophy 18 (3):379-410. |
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Last update: Mgr. Eva Mokrejšová (04.12.2019)
The Principle of Identity of Indiscernibles (PII): (i) General introduction on the topic, (ii) alternative formulations of the principle, (iii) scope of the principle (epistemology, ontology, modality, semantics), (iv) strategies of determination and verification of the principle by means of practical and theoretical models. Week 2 Systematic considerations. Main reading: Black, Max (1952). The identity of indiscernibles. Mind 61 (242):153-164 1. Presentation (i) on what formulations of PII can be found in Black (1952), (ii) on the scope of PII in Black (1952), (iii) on models of PII (and their application) taken into consideration in Black (1952). Auxiliary literature: Forrest, Peter (2016). "The Identity of Indiscernibles", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = . Week 3 Space-time models. Means of verification or means of determination of PII? 2. Presentation of correlated minutes of the last session: Black, Max (1952). The identity of indiscernibles. Mind 61 (242):153-164 Forrest, Peter (2016). "The Identity of Indiscernibles", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = . Main reading: Nichols, Ryan (1999). Space, Individuation and the Identity of Indiscernibles: Leibniz's Triumph Over Strawson. Studia Leibnitiana 31 (2):181-195. Auxiliary literature: O'Connor, D. J. (1953). The Identity of Indiscernibles. Analysis 14 (5):103 - 110. Rescher, Nicholas (1955). The identity of indiscernibles: A reinterpretation. Journal of Philosophy 52 (6):152-155. Week 4 Interpreting PII in terms of sharing properties - satisfying the same predicative functions. 3. Presentation on rendering PII more plausible by limiting its scope: excluding some or all many-place predicates - all or only symmetric relations. Main reading: Forrest, Peter (2016). "The Identity of Indiscernibles", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = . Auxiliary literature: shared with previous session. Week 5 Semantic interpretation. Main reading: Bar-Elli, Gilead (1982). Identity and the Formation of the Notion of Object. Or: The Identity of Indiscernibles: A Synthetic a Priori. Erkenntnis 17 (2):229 - 248. 4. Presentation of correlated minutes of the last session. Auxiliary literature: Ketland, Jeffrey (2006). Structuralism and the identity of indiscernibles. Analysis 66 (4):303- 315. Week 6 Presuppositions regarding ontology. Main reading: Quine, Willard V. (1948). On What There Is. Review of Metaphysics 2 (1):21-38. 5. Presentation on: Laycock, Henry (2004). “Variables, Generality and Existence”, in Paolo Valore (ed.), Topics on General and Formal Ontology, Milano: Polimetrica, 27-52. Auxiliary literature: Boolos, George (1984). To be is to be a value of a variable (or to be some values of some variables). Journal of Philosophy 81 (8):430-449. Week 7 Leibniz’s original account. Precise formulation - 3 keywords: (i) an individual, (ii) entire similarity, (iii) numerical difference. No objects, no identities. Main reading: Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Philosophical Papers and Letters. Edited and translated by Leroy E. Loemker. 2d ed., Dordrect: D. Reidel, 1969: pp. 268, 308, 336, 534, 645, 687, 699, 700. 6. Presentation on an account of an individual (the first keyword) based on previous session. Auxiliary literature: Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Die philosophischen Schriften. 7 vols. Edited by C. I. Gerhardt. Berlin, 1875-90. Reprint, Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1965. Week 8 PII and salva veritate. Main reading: Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Philosophical Papers and Letters. Edited and translated by Leroy E. Loemker. 2d ed., Dordrect: D. Reidel, 1969: pp. 268, 371, 516, 666-674. 7. Presentation on: Mates, Benson (1986). The Philosophy of Leibniz: Metaphysics and Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press: pp. 130-140 Auxiliary literature: Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Die philosophischen Schriften. 7 vols. Edited by C. I. Gerhardt. Berlin, 1875-90. Reprint, Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1965. Russell, Bertrand (1900). A Critical Exposition of the Philosophy of Leibniz, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: p. 102 Week 9 Complete similarity and indiscernibility as a matter of a point of view. Main reading: Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Philosophical Papers and Letters. Edited and translated by Leroy E. Loemker. 2d ed., Dordrect: D. Reidel, 1969: pp. 680-710 8. Presentation on: Hacking, Ian (1975). The identity of indiscernibles. Journal of Philosophy 72 (9):249-256. Auxiliary literature: Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Die philosophischen Schriften. 7 vols. Edited by C. I. Gerhardt. Berlin, 1875-90. Reprint, Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1965. Week 10 Numerical difference and identity as compared to other forms of differences and identities. Main reading: Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Philosophical Papers and Letters. Edited and translated by Leroy E. Loemker. 2d ed., Dordrect: D. Reidel, 1969: pp. 300-350 9. Presentation on: Mugnai, Massimo (2001). Leibniz on Individuation: From the Early Years to the "Discourse" and Beyond. Studia Leibnitiana 33 (1):36 - 54. Week 11 A real being. Main reading: Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Philosophical Papers and Letters. Edited and translated by Leroy E. Loemker. 2d ed., Dordrect: D. Reidel, 1969: pp. 268, 308, 336, 534, 645, 687, 699, 700. 10. Presentation on an account of an individual (the first keyword) based on previous reading. Auxiliary literature: Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Die philosophischen Schriften. 7 vols. Edited by C. I. Gerhardt. Berlin, 1875-90. Reprint, Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1965. Week 12 Reality of relations and a mirroring structure. Main reading: Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Philosophical Papers and Letters. Edited and translated by Leroy E. Loemker. 2d ed., Dordrect: D. Reidel, 1969: pp. 268, 308, 336, 534, 645, 687, 699, 700. 11. Presentation on the independence of a monad. Auxiliary literature: Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Die philosophischen Schriften. 7 vols. Edited by C. I. Gerhardt. Berlin, 1875-90. Reprint, Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1965. Week 13 Closing discussion. 12. Presentations on selected issues - if needed. |