Quotation
Last reviewed:
“The monads have no windows, through which anything could come in or go out.”
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz · Rationalism · Early modern · 1714
What does it mean?
Each simple substance does not take in anything from outside; its changes come from within.
Did Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz really say this?
The library’s label is Paraphrase or translation. Robert Latta's 1898 English of the French, checked against the Wikisource text. The image is Leibniz's.
Where it comes from
Monadology §7, tr. Robert Latta
Approximate date: 1714.
How to use it
Odd as it sounds, he means that a mind's perceptions unfold from its own nature.
A mindset reading
Strange images can carry precise claims. Ask what problem the image solves.
Understand the philosophy
He needs God's pre-established harmony to explain why monads agree.
- mind
- knowledge
FAQ
What does it mean?
Each simple substance does not take in anything from outside; its changes come from within.
Did Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz really say this?
Paraphrase or translation. Robert Latta's 1898 English of the French, checked against the Wikisource text. The image is Leibniz's.
Which work is it in?
Monadology §7, tr. Robert Latta Approximate date: 1714.