Analysis On Leibniz's View Of Freedom Based On Compatibilism

Perhaps no topic mattered more to Leibniz throughout his philosophical career than the nature of human and divine freedom.Leibniz was particularly concerned to develop an analysis of such freedom which shows how god and human beings can be free in the same sense.This thesis is divided into the following four parts:The first part is a literature review,which mainly explains the meaning and source of the topic,as well as the current research status.At the same time,by comparing Spinoza and Descartes' discussions on freedom,the background of Leibniz's era will be showed,and his basic view of freedom will be outlined.The second part examines Leibniz's view of freedom in some detail.The process will involve two aspects,which are moral psychology and logical metaphysics.But only from the aspect of logical metaphysics can make the concept of freedom be clearly presented.Leibniz identifies three conditions which are,in logical terms,individually necessary and jointly sufficient for free agency.According to abstraction process,these three conditions can be summarized as intelligence,spontaneity and contingency.The third part is mainly about contingency.Since it is different form intelligence and spontaneity,further explanations will be needed.Therefore Leibniz has adopted two strategies for this purpose.The first strategy is to analyze necessity in relation to his theory of truth.The distinction between absolute and hypothetical necessity provide proof of the rationality of contingency.The second strategy is to integrate the relation between contingency and conceptual contingency through concept-containment theory of truth.Finally,the third strategy is to use the methods of finite analysis and infinite analysis and theories about the possible world as supplementary explanations.At the same time,the purpose of emphasizing contingency is to complete the return from God's freedom to human freedom.The final part explains the freedom of God and the freedom of human beings.On the basis of the justification of the existence of contingency,the freedom of God andthe freedom of human beings will be reconciled.Still,the main problem arises when contingency is used to characterize God's freedom,although God is necessarily good at the same time.Leibniz acknowledges that this seems to imply that God create the best in an infinitely possible world.But if this is the case,then the existing world will become the only possible world,which is the conclusion that Leibniz tries to avoid.After solving the problem through different strategies again,Leibniz concluded that human freedom and causal determinism are both compatible and consistent.This implies that Leibniz not only regards determinism compatible with freedom theoretically,but also holds the same view factually.