The principle of determination and its place within the leibnizian system

Abstract

The author aims at inquiring the relevance of the principle of determination within the Leibnizian philosophical system. The guiding hypothesis is that the principle of determination lies at the core of the Leibnizian system as a mediating principle between the principle of reason and the principle of perfection. It is an ordering principle of the actual world both in the natural and the moral domains. At the metaphysic and physic level, the principle of determination elucidates the constitution of the whole universe and the process of constitution and development of individual beings. At the moral level, this principle elucidates the nature of the will, and the process of decision, according to primitive dispositions and prevailing inclinations. In sum, the principle of determination institutes a kind of immanent order, distinct from a strict determinism and excluding fortuitous events and arbitrary acts.