Gottfried W. Leibniz (1646-1716) - MA Phil 1663 and BA Law, Leipzig 1665 - 1669-1674 secretary to the Elector of Mainz - 1672-74 visits Paris (Huygens) - 1675 counsellor to to the Duke of Brunswick in Hanover - private tutor of Caroline of Anspach, the future Princess of Wales and wife of George II Discourse on Metaphysics 1686 New System of Nature 1695 Monadology 1714 Theodicy 1710 New Essays on Human Understanding (comp. 1695-1705, publ. 1765)

Samuel Clarke (1675-1729) - BA Cambridge - Boyle lectures (1704-05) A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God A Discourse concerning natural religion - 1706 translation of Newton’s Opticks into Latin - 1709 Rector of St. James’s Church in Westminster (Newton’s parish) - 1714 coronation of George I of Hanover (Clarke was personal chaplain of Princess Caroline of Anspach, the future wife of George II) - 1715-16 exchange with Leibniz via Princess Carolineof Anspach first published in 1717

The Calculus dispute Leibniz comes to know of Newton in 1672; first exchange of letters in 1677. development of calculus 1677-1699 Leibniz’s account of Differential Calculus in 1684 and Integral Calculus 1686 Newton’s Principia 1687 cordial exchange of letters between Newton and Leibniz on gravity and planetary motion still in 1692-93. 1708 John Keill publishes in the Philosophical Transactions an accusation that Leibniz plagiarised Newton’s calculus 1710 Leibniz requested redress from the Royal Society (full member since 1673) the RS requested Keill’s account, and accepted it in 1711 1712 Leibniz appealed again, the RS formed a committee (chaired by Newton), which issued a report in 1713 (Commercium Epistolicum, written by Newton) that condemned Leibniz. Leibniz refutes the report in his Charta volans published in Dec 1713, showing that Newton’s mastery of the calculus was patchy (showcasing an error in Principia Bk. 2, prop. 10 – mistake pointed out to Leibniz anonymously by Johan Bernoulli) in spring 1716 Caroline tried to pacify Newton and Leibniz, but failed since 1709 Leibniz intensified his attacks on various aspects of Newtonian theory, in his publications and letters

The Calculus dispute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axZTv5YJssA

A. R. Hall, Philosophers at War (1980)

Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence 5 letters exchanged via princess Caroline, starting with Leibniz’s attack on Newton, followed by Clarke’s reply TOPICS: (i) theological and metaphysical - the relation of God to the world - God’s attributes - the nature of soul and its relation to body - free will - the Principle of Sufficient Reason - miracles (iii) physical/scientific - the nature of space and time - the nature of matter - gravity - motive force - the size of the universe

The Plan 14 October: Newton’s revolution 21 October: no class Newton’s Revolution in Physics - dr. Ivica Smolic, Asistant Professor of Physics, Faculty of Science Newton’s Impact on Philosophy - PG 21 October: no class by 28 October (i) read the LCC (ii) make synoptic notes of the arguments (iii) choose a topic for 20min presentation as an introduction to discussion 28 October: Space as the sensorium of God

The Plan 4 November: Topic 1 11 November: Topic 2 18 November: Topic 3 2 December: Topic 5 9 December: Topic 6 16 December: Topic 7 23 December (?): Topic 8 13 January: Topic 9 20 January: Topic 10 27 January: Topic 11

Obligations and Grading OBLIGATION %OF FINAL MARK attendance (max. 3 absences) synoptic notes of arguments in LCC 10% 20min presentation on topic of choice 20% discussion in class 20% short quiz (unannounced, after 4 Nov) 10% written exam 40% 10 short factual questions 5 expanded questions 3 discussion questions (choice out of 10)

READINGS - OBLIGATORY R. Ariew (ed.), G. W. Leibniz and Samuel Clarke: Correspondence, Indianapolis-Cambridge, 2000. H. G. Alexander, “Introduction”, in The Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence, Manchester, 1956, pp. ix-lvi I. Newton, Philosophical Writings, ed. A. Janiak, Cambridge, 2004. [parts] Introduction, pp. ix-xxxi Principia, Scholium to Definitions, pp. 64-70. Principia, General Scholium, pp. 89-93. G. W. Leibniz, Philosophical Essays, ed. R. Ariew & D. Garber, Cambridge, 1989. [parts] Monadology, pp. 213-225. Letters on Newton, pp. 307-320.

READINGS - SUGGESTED E. Vailati, Leibniz and Clarke. A Study of their Correspondence, Oxford, 1997. L. A. Burtt, The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science, London, 1924. Chapter VII: “The Metaphysics of Newton”, pp. 207-302. G. W. Leibniz, Philosophical Essays, ed. R. Ariew & D. Garber, Cambridge, 1989. Discourse on Metaphysics, pp. 35-69. New System of Nature, pp. 138-145. I. Kant, Critique of the Pure Reason, tr. N. Kemp Smith, London, 1929. “Transcendental Aesthetic”, pp. 63-91.

READINGS - OTHER S. Shapin, “Of Gods and Kings: Natural Philosophy and Politics in the Leibniz-Clarke Disputes”, Isis 72 (1981), 187-215. R. Laymon, “Newton's Bucket Experiment”, Journal of the History of Philosophy 16 (1978), 399-413. S. Clarke, A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God and Other Writings, ed. E. Vailati, Cambridge, 1998. R. T. W. Arthur, “Space and Relativity in Newton and Leibniz”, British Journal for the History of Science 45 (1994), 220-240. N. Jolly (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Leibniz, Cambridge, 1995.