Gottfried Leibnitz
Leibnitz, Gottfried (1646-1716) A proponent of parallelism (the mind and body are separate and independent), Leibnitz is best known as a mathematician. Born in Leipzig, Germany, Leibnitz misunderstood or mistranslated Loche’s philosophy; consequently his views, partly in reaction to what he thought Loche said, emphasize an active mind. In philosophy, Leibnitz is credited for introducing the idea of the unconscious mind and for proposing atom-like entities he called monads. Using the latest technological advances of his day (the microscope), Leibnitz concluded that life was present in everything. This observation didn’t coincide with Leibnitz view of God, so he proposed an elaborate theory which reconciled his two beliefs. According to Leibnitz, the universe was established by God with a preset harmony. This harmony is composed of indestructible points of life force. Each point of force (monad) is self-contained, living and conscious. Monads, however, vary in intelligence and consciousness. Like atoms, there is an infinite supply; unlike atoms, monads are alive. Indeed, everything is alive, even inanimate objects. There is variety in size, style and number but everything is composed of monads. According to Leibnitz, humans are made up of the most intelligent monads, most of which are highly conscious. Less conscious monads produce “petite perceptions” (less conscious states). Although monads helped explain some phenomena, Liebnitz believed that the mind and body were parallel, independent systems. For him, the brain (composed of physiological material) could produce anything immaterial (such as ideas), so they must be correlated but separate.
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