Leibniz's monad
a study in melancholy and harmony
pp. 53-68
Abstract
Detachment and absorption are two of melancholia's fundamental features. In this paper I try to demonstrate that these features can be productively connected to philosophical thought. I do so by focusing on Leibniz's fundamental metaphysical entity, the monad, which I interpret as revealing a melancholic configuration. My reading explores the special structure of the monad's encounter with the world, arguing that the structure of the Monad exemplifies the possibility of a productive relation between its utter closure and its philosophical openness to the world entailed in its activity of constant expressing of the world. This relation, I suggest in conclusion, manifests the structure of a metaphysics of mood.
Publication details
Published in:
Kenaan Hagi, Ferber Ilit (2011) Philosophy's moods: the affective grounds of thinking. Dordrecht, Springer.
Pages: 53-68
DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-1503-5_5
Full citation:
Ferber Ilit (2011) „Leibniz's monad: a study in melancholy and harmony“, In: H. Kenaan & I. Ferber (eds.), Philosophy's moods, Dordrecht, Springer, 53–68.