Pre-established harmony
Encyclopedia
Gottfried Leibniz
's theory of pre-established harmony is a philosophical
theory about causation
under which every "substance" only affects itself, but all the substances (both bodies and minds) in the world nevertheless seem to causally interact with each other because they have been programmed by God
in advance to "harmonize" with each other. Leibniz's term for these substances was "monad
s" which he described in a popular work (Monadology
§7) as "windowless".
An example:
Leibniz's theory is best known as a solution to the mind-body problem of how mind can interact with the body. However, Leibniz also rejected the idea of physical bodies affecting each other, and explained all physical causation in this way.
Under pre-established harmony, the preprogramming of each mind must be extremely complex, since only it itself causes its own thoughts or movements, for as long as it exists. In order to appear to interact, each substance's "program" must contain a description of either the entire universe, or of how the object is to behave at all times, during all "interactions" which will appear to occur.
It can also be noted that if a mind behaves as a windowless monad, there is no need for any other object to exist in order to create that mind's sense perceptions, leading to a solipsistic
universe consisting only of that mind. Leibniz seems to admit this in his Discourse on Metaphysics
section 14. However, he claims that his Principle of Harmony, according to which God
creates the best and most harmonious world possible, dictates that the perception
s (internal states) of each monad
"expresses" the world in its entirety, and the world expressed by the monad actually exists. Although Leibniz says that each monad is "windowless," he also claims that it functions as a "mirror" of the entire created universe.
On occasion, Leibniz styled himself as "the author of the system of preestablished harmony".
Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a German philosopher and mathematician. He wrote in different languages, primarily in Latin , French and German ....
's theory of pre-established harmony is a philosophical
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
theory about causation
Causality
Causality is the relationship between an event and a second event , where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first....
under which every "substance" only affects itself, but all the substances (both bodies and minds) in the world nevertheless seem to causally interact with each other because they have been programmed by God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
in advance to "harmonize" with each other. Leibniz's term for these substances was "monad
Monad
-Philosophy:*Monad a term meaning "unit" used variously by ancient philosophers from the Pythagoreans to Plato, Aristotle, and Plotinus to signify a variety of entities from a genus to God....
s" which he described in a popular work (Monadology
Monadology
The Monadology is one of Gottfried Leibniz’s best known works representing his later philosophy. It is a short text which sketches in some 90 paragraphs a metaphysics of simple substances, or monads.- Text :...
§7) as "windowless".
An example:
- An apple falls on Alice's head, apparently causing the experience of pain in her mind. In fact, the apple does not cause the pain - the pain is caused by some previous state of Alice's mind. If Alice then seems to shake her hand in anger, it is not actually her mind that causes this, but some previous state of her hand.
Leibniz's theory is best known as a solution to the mind-body problem of how mind can interact with the body. However, Leibniz also rejected the idea of physical bodies affecting each other, and explained all physical causation in this way.
Under pre-established harmony, the preprogramming of each mind must be extremely complex, since only it itself causes its own thoughts or movements, for as long as it exists. In order to appear to interact, each substance's "program" must contain a description of either the entire universe, or of how the object is to behave at all times, during all "interactions" which will appear to occur.
It can also be noted that if a mind behaves as a windowless monad, there is no need for any other object to exist in order to create that mind's sense perceptions, leading to a solipsistic
Solipsism
Solipsism is the philosophical idea that only one's own mind is sure to exist. The term comes from Latin solus and ipse . Solipsism as an epistemological position holds that knowledge of anything outside one's own mind is unsure. The external world and other minds cannot be known, and might not...
universe consisting only of that mind. Leibniz seems to admit this in his Discourse on Metaphysics
Discourse on Metaphysics
The Discourse on Metaphysics is a short treatise by Gottfried Leibniz in which he develops a philosophy concerning physical substance, motion and resistance of bodies, and God's role within the universe...
section 14. However, he claims that his Principle of Harmony, according to which God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
creates the best and most harmonious world possible, dictates that the perception
Perception
Perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing and interpreting sensory information. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs...
s (internal states) of each monad
Monad
-Philosophy:*Monad a term meaning "unit" used variously by ancient philosophers from the Pythagoreans to Plato, Aristotle, and Plotinus to signify a variety of entities from a genus to God....
"expresses" the world in its entirety, and the world expressed by the monad actually exists. Although Leibniz says that each monad is "windowless," he also claims that it functions as a "mirror" of the entire created universe.
On occasion, Leibniz styled himself as "the author of the system of preestablished harmony".
See also
- Best of All Possible WorldsBest of all possible worldsThe phrase "the best of all possible worlds" was coined by the German polymath Gottfried Leibniz in his 1710 work Essais de Théodicée sur la bonté de Dieu, la liberté de l'homme et l'origine du mal...
- NoumenonNoumenonThe noumenon is a posited object or event that is known without the use of the senses.The term is generally used in contrast with, or in relation to "phenomenon", which refers to anything that appears to, or is an object of, the senses...
- PhenomenonPhenomenonA phenomenon , plural phenomena, is any observable occurrence. Phenomena are often, but not always, understood as 'appearances' or 'experiences'...
- OccasionalismOccasionalismOccasionalism is a philosophical theory about causation which says that created substances cannot be efficient causes of events. Instead, all events are taken to be caused directly by God...