Leibniz's Theory of Space in the Correspondence with Clarke and the Existence of Vacuums (1)
ABSTRACT: It is well known that a central issue in the famous debate between Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Samuel Clarke is the nature of space. They disagreed on the ontological status of space rather than on its geometrical or physical structure. Closely related is the disagreement on the existence of vacuums in nature: while Leibniz denies it, Clarke asserts it. In this paper, I shall focus on Leibniz's position in this debate. In part one, I shall reconstruct the theory of physical space which Leibniz presents in his letters to Clarke. This theory differs from Leibniz's ultimate metaphysics of space, but it is particularly interesting for systematic reasons, and it also gave rise to a lively discussion in modern philosophy of science. In part two, I shall examine whether the existence of vacuums is ruled out by that theory of space, as Leibniz seems to imply in one of his letters. I shall confirm the result of E. J. Khamara ("Leibniz's Theory of Space: A Reconstruction," Philosophical Quarterly 43 [1993]: 472-88) that Leibniz's theory of space rules out the existence of a certain kind of vacuum, namely extramundane vacuums, although it does not rule out vacuums within the world.
Introduction
It is well-known that a central issue in the famous debate between Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Samuel Clarke is the nature of space. Leibniz and Clarke, who did not only take a Newtonian standpoint, but was even assisted in designing his answers to Leibniz by Sir Isaac Newton himself, (2) disagree on the ontological status of space rather than on its (geometrical or physical) structure. Closely related to the disagreement on the ontological status of space is a further disagreement on the existence of vacuums in nature: While Leibniz denies it, Clarke asserts it.
In this paper I shall focus on Leibniz's position in the debate about these issues. In the first part I shall try to reconstruct the theory of physical space which Leibniz presents in his letters to Clarke. In the second part I shall examine, whether the existence of vacuums is ruled out by that theory of space, as Leibniz seems to imply in one of his letters (see below).
To focus exclusively on the correspondence with Clarke is a confinement I am aware of. The theory which I am going to reconstruct differs from Leibniz's ultimate metaphysics of space, (3) but it is particularly interesting for systematic reasons and it also gave rise to a lively discussion in modern philosophy of science.
In this paper, I offer a reconstruction of Aristotle’s argument from Physics Book 2, chapter 8, 199a9. Aristotle in this chapter tries to make an analogy between nature and action to establish that both, nature and action, have an end.
First we will consider the assigned baseball scenario under Leibniz’s system of metaphysics. In the baseball scenario, the aggregate of the player, bat, pitch, swing and all the other substances in the universe are one and all contingent. There are other possible things, to be sure; but there are also other possible universes that could have existed but did not. The totality of contingent things, the bat, the player, etc., themselves do not explain themselves. Here Leibniz involves the principle of reason; “there can be found no fact that is true or existent, or any true proposition, without there being a sufficient reason for its being so and not otherwise.” There must be, Leibniz insists, something outside the totality of contingent things (baseball games) which explains them, something which is itself necessary and therefore requires no explanation other than itself.
Among the predominant explanations offered for the existence of disproportionate ethnic representation in special education is the influence of poverty or socioeconomic disadvantage on the academic readiness of minority students. The National Research Council (NRC) reported on research that was conducted and concluded with a “definitive yes” that there are “biological and social/contextual contributors to early development that differ by race and that leave students differentially prepared to meet the cognitive and behavioral demands of schooling” (Skiba, et al. 131). The NRC suggested that the effects of a number of biological and social factors could be included under the broader heading of poverty. The relationship between disproportionality and poverty
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The education system is arguably the most beneficial system in the world; however, it also contains many controversial practices. Proper funding, discrimination, and curriculum are just some of the problems in today’s education system. Everyone has a different opinion about what is best for our children and it is impossible to please everyone. As long as the educational system is in tact, then there will be confusion and debate within the system and its’ administrators. The only thing that can be done is attempting to make it so that everyone will benefit equally, but this is much more difficult than one would assume. I will focus on the aspect of discrimination on minorities within special education and more specifically the following questions: Does the special education system discriminate against minorities? If so, how? What can be done, if anything, to correct or improve this system?
The first social issue portrayed through the film is racial inequality. The audience witnesses the inequality in the film when justice is not properly served to the police officer who executed Oscar Grant. As shown through the film, the ind...
The use of fertility treatments in recent years has been accompanied by an increase in the number of multiple births seen annually. The twin birth rate has increased by 59% since 1980, and the triplet and higher order multiples birth rate is up 423% (Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughter’s, 2004). There are two main forms of assisted reproductive therapy (ART) that are used currently. These are ovulation induction using fertility drugs alone and In vitro fertilization (IVF).
Swimming is composed of many different strokes, one of them being the front crawl, also known as the freestyle. This stroke is very simple and good for swimmers that are just starting. The leg kick requires a simple flutter kick while the legs are going in an interchanging order. The knees are a little bent with the feet and ankles loosened. In order to have a good forward momentum, the swimmer should highlight the down-kick more. While using the changing windmill motion between right and left arm, the hands should be cupped with relaxed wrists and hands. Another key fact for the arm stroke is the pulling arms underwater should be in an “S” pattern and the arms must pull the water with equal power and arm reach. This will guarantee the swimmer that they’re going in a straight line. For the body positioning, the freestyle requires the swimmer to twist on the long-axis, from the head down to the toe, of the body. Therefore the front crawl is known as a long-axis stroke. One important thing to remember with long-axis strokes is the swimmer must have the hips and legs aligned and so they don’t sink. Another important fact is to r...
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“Managing Infertility.” USNews.com. Stanford University Medical Center, 31 Mar. 2007. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. .
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It is interesting to note that the ongoing controversy concerning the so-called conflict between Wilhelm Gottfried Leibniz and Isaac Newton is one that does not bare much merit. Whether one came up with the concepts of calculus are insignificant since the outcome was that future generations benefited. However, the logic of their clash does bear merit.
- Hawking, Stephen & Ellis, George. (1973). The Large Scale Structure of Space-time. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (pp 364).
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