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Sources: Die Leibniz-Handschriften der Königlichen Öffentlichen Bibliothek Eduard Bodemann (ed) pp 73-74 Sämtliche schriften und briefe series VI volume 4 Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften (ed) pp 1351-1352 Date: 1677? Translated from the Latin View this translation in PDF format (9k) Back to home page Search texts by category: METAPHYSICS MIND, BODY AND SOUL FREE WILL AND NECESSITY SCIENCE POLITICS, LAW AND ETHICS THEOLOGY |
LEIBNIZ: ON THE NECESSITY OF CHOOSING THE BEST[BH p73] [A VI 4, p1351] Let us assume three points are given, so that from those a triangle may be formed: I say that a wise man will form from those an equilateral triangle (if there is no special reason for acting otherwise), for thus all points are treated in the same way. And the species of equilateral triangle is lowest, [A VI 4, p1352] i.e. all equilateral triangles are similar to each other. If [BH p74] the necessity to choose the best, which is in the wise man, would destroy freedom, it would follow that neither does God act freely, since from many things he chooses the best. The essences of things are like numbers. Just as two numbers are not equal to each other, so no two essences are equally perfect. © Lloyd Strickland 2004 With gratitude to John Thorley for advice and suggestions |