AbstractThis chapter looks at a vexed issue in Leibnizian interpretation––the question of Leibniz’s theory of consciousness. The phenomena of consciousness are apparently discontinuous, and, Leibniz argues, the failure to resolve these apparent discontinuities may lead one astray. I will show that the principle of continuity provides reasons to doubt that some of the main interpretations of...
Abstract: A systematic reappraisal of Leibniz’s philosophy of mind. The main argument of this book is easy to state:Leibniz offers a fully natural theory of mind. In today’s philosophical climate in which much effort has been put into discovering a naturalized theory of mind Leibniz’s efforts to reach a similar goal three hundred years earlier will provide a critical stance from which we can...
The search for consciousness in Ancient Greek philosophical texts may well be a fool&s;s errand. However, other scholars have noted some overlapping concepts or concerns in Ancient Greek texts, which—with the necessary translation—can be seen as in the family of issues related to consciousness. A naturalized theory is a theory that has no irresolvable "mysteries"—mysteries like those presented...