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Chapter 2 - Leibniz

Spontaneity, Justice, and Perfection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 July 2025

Douglas Moggach
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa and University of Sydney
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Summary

Leibniz defends teleology or purposive activity against the overly mechanical worldview of Thomas Hobbes, and develops an idea of spontaneity as self-originating action irreducible to mere mechanistic reaction. He links free activity with justice as the enabling conditions for the exercise of freedom, and with the progressive deployment of individual and collective powers. He thus sets the agenda for subsequent idealism, which reconfigures the idea of spontaneity and reflects on the harmonisation of diverse individual efforts as a problem of ongoing juridical reform

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Chapter
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Freedom and Perfection
German Political Thought from Leibniz to Marx
, pp. 29 - 57
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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  • Leibniz
  • Douglas Moggach, University of Ottawa and University of Sydney
  • Book: Freedom and Perfection
  • Online publication: 25 July 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009590419.002
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  • Leibniz
  • Douglas Moggach, University of Ottawa and University of Sydney
  • Book: Freedom and Perfection
  • Online publication: 25 July 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009590419.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Leibniz
  • Douglas Moggach, University of Ottawa and University of Sydney
  • Book: Freedom and Perfection
  • Online publication: 25 July 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009590419.002
Available formats
×