« Les Mathematiciens ont autant besoin d’estre philosophes que les philosophes d’estre Mathematiciens » [Leibniz à Nicolas Malebranche, 13/23 mars 1699 ]. Cette déclaration que fait Leibniz à Malebranche en 1699 n’est pas de façade et il la met lui-même en action à de multiples occasions. Ainsi, présentant en 1677 une des notions centrales de sa « caractéristique géométrique », il commente : Il n’est pas si aisé qu’on pense, de donner des veritables demonstrations en metaphysique....

Pese a que el concepto de _expresión_ es uno de los conceptos más centrales en la filosofía de Leibniz, el tratamiento que ha recibido mayoritariamente dentro de la literatura especializada sigue siendo escaso, parcializado e insuficiente. Es parcializado, puesto que se lo suele interpretar bien en calve _solo _metafísica, dejando sin demarcar el tipo particular de la relación expresiva; o bien desde el _mero_ análisis de la relación expresiva como isomórfica, dejando sin atender su contenido metafísico. No solo suelen dejarse (...) ambas tendencias recíprocamente fuera de consideración, sino que ninguna de las dos suele atender a un aspecto fundamental de la expresión: el cuerpo propio de la mónada como _lugar_ para su punto de vista expresivo. El presente trabajo ofrece una reconstrucción del concepto de expresión que reconcilia ambas clases de interpretación, atendiendo, a la vez, a la exigencia del cuerpo para la acción expresiva. (shrink)

Leibniz’s binary numeral system is generally studied for its arithmetical relevance, but the analysis of several unpublished manuscripts shows that from the very beginning Leibniz also envisaged a new form of algebra in the context of dyadics based on the idea that its letters can only express numbers that are either 1 or 0. In this paper, I shall present the most notable results of this binary algebra: the determination of the algorithm for the expansion of squares and the development (...) of the positional notation used to express any possible number. These achievements explain the priority of dyadics over any other numeral system in Leibniz’s mind and his impressive work on the classification of numbers which was facilitated by tools and notions which were only accessible to him at that time. (shrink)

Leibniz’s binary numeral system is generally studied for its arithmetical relevance, but the analysis of several unpublished manuscripts shows that from the very beginning Leibniz also envisaged a new form of algebra in the context of dyadics based on the idea that its letters can only express numbers that are either 1 or 0. In this paper, I shall present the most notable results of this binary algebra: the determination of the algorithm for the expansion of squares and the development (...) of the positional notation used to express any possible number. These achievements explain the priority of dyadics over any other numeral system in Leibniz’s mind and his impressive work on the classification of numbers which was facilitated by tools and notions which were only accessible to him at that time. (shrink)

I argue that Leibniz’s doctrine of sensory representation is intended in part to close an explanatory gap in his philosophical system. Unlike the twentieth century explanatory gap, which stretches between neural states on one side and phenomenal character on the other, Leibniz’s gap lies between experiences of secondary qualities like color and taste and the objects that cause them. The problem is that the precise arrangement and distribution of such experiences can never be given a full explanation. In response, Leibniz (...) appeals to representation. I argue that the sense in which Leibnizian sensations are representations is too weak to close his explanatory gap. In the end, he must appeal to the doctrine of the best possible world. (shrink)