BERKELEY AND LEIBNIZ
Berkeley and Leibniz were the originators of two of the most unusual philosophical
systems of the Early Modern period. Berkeley (1685-1753) famously denied the reality of
matter, claiming that nothing exists but minds and ideas. Leibniz (1646-1716) maintained
that the world consists of an infinity of monads or ‘spiritual automata’, each perceiving the
whole from its own point of view. He also, notoriously, claimed that the actual world is
the best of all possible worlds. By placing these two thinkers in historical context, we will
seek to understand how they developed and defended their seemingly counterintuitive
views, and ask what we can learn from them today.
Preliminary Reading:
 George Berkeley, Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous (1713)
 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Monadology (1714)
Lectures: The lectures for this module will be held in **, on Wednesdays from 6-7 pm in
the Autumn Term. The lecturer is Dr. Sarah Patterson (s.patterson@bbk.ac.uk).
Seminars: The seminars for this module will be held in **, on Wednesdays from 7-8 pm in
the Autumn Term. They will be led by the lecturer and by **.
Readings: Every week there is one key reading that is the focus of the seminar discussion.
One of the purposes of the seminar is to help you to understand the reading, so do not
worry if you have not fully understood it in advance. Nevertheless, it is essential that you
attempt the seminar reading each week if you are to follow the lecture and to participate in
the seminar discussion. There is also ‘additional reading’ listed that will deepen your
understanding and help you to get the most out of the module. You are especially advised
to cover the additional reading for those topics on which you are planning to write.
Essays (BA): This module is assessed by one essay of around 3,000 words. It must be
written in response to one of the set questions listed below, except with permission from
the module convenor. For details concerning submission of the essay, including deadlines,
see the BA Handbook.
Prior to this assessed essay, you may also write up to two essays during the course, taken
from the titles below, and receive feedback on them from your seminar leader. These can
be useful practice for your eventual assessed essay. You should submit the first such essay
by the first seminar after reading week, and the second by one week after the last seminar
of term. [Notes: (1) You are always welcome to submit an essay earlier than these dates;
(2) the seminar leader should not be expected to comment on the same essay more than
once.]
Essay (MA): This module is assessed by one essay of around 3,500 words. It must be
written in response to one of the set questions listed below, except with permission from
the module convenor. For details concerning submission of the essay, including deadlines,
see the MA Handbook.
Moodle: Electronic copies of course materials are available through Moodle, at
http://moodle.bbk.ac.uk. You will need your ITS login name and password to enter.
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Schedule of Topics and Readings
Texts:
 Berkeley: Combined editions of The Principles of Human Knowledge and Three
Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous are published by Penguin and by Oxford
World’s Classics. The Principles and the Three Dialogues are available online via
Birkbeck eLibrary in the PastMasters collection.
 Leibniz: In the list below, Leibniz: Philosophical Writings, ed. G.H.R. Parkinson
(Everyman’s Library) is referred to as ‘P’. G. W. Leibniz: Philosophical Essays, ed. R.
Ariew and D. Garber (Hackett) is referred to as ‘A&G’.
Introductory Books:
 Tom Stoneham, Berkeley’s World (Oxford University Press, 2002)
 Nicholas Jolley, Leibniz (Routledge, 2005)
 Roger Woolhouse, Starting with Leibniz (Continuum, 2010)
Week 1
Introduction: Berkeley in Historical Context
Seminar Reading:
 Berkeley, Principles of Human Knowledge, Introduction and Sections 1-7
Additional Reading:
 Margaret Atherton, ‘Berkeley’s Anti-Abstractionism’ in W. Creery (ed.), George
Berkeley: Critical Assessments (Routledge, 1991)
 Kenneth Winkler, Berkeley: An Interpretation (Clarendon Press, 1989), Ch. 2 (ebook
available via Birkbeck Library)
 George Pappas, Berkeley’s Thought (Cornell University Press, 2000), Ch. 3.
 John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Book III, Ch. 3 (many
editions, 1689). [Available online at www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10616.]
Essay Question
o How persuasive is Berkeley’s attack on the Lockean doctrine of abstract ideas?
Week 2
Berkeley on the Nature of Sensible Things
Seminar Reading:
 George Berkeley, Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous, First Dialogue.
Additional Reading:
 Samuel Rickless, Berkeley’s Argument for Idealism (OUP, 2013), Ch. 4 (ebook
available via Birkbeck Library)
 Carriero Philosophical Topics 2003
 Mark Textor, ‘‘Intense Heat Immediately Perceived is Nothing Distinct from a
Particular Sort of Pain’’ British Journal for the History of Philosophy (2001) 9: 43-68
(available via JSTOR)
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Essay Questions
o What does Berkeley attempt to conclude from his claim that an intense degree of heat
is a particular sort of pain? How plausible is his argument?
o ‘An idea can be like nothing but an idea.’ Does Berkeley succeed in establishing this
claim?
Week 3
Berkeley on God
Seminar Reading:
 George Berkeley, Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous, Second Dialogue.
Additional Reading:
 Jonathan Bennett, ‘Berkeley and God’, Philosophy (1965) 40: 207-221
 Michael Ayers, ‘Divine Ideas and Berkeley’s Proofs of God’s Existence’ in Ernest
Sosa (ed.), Essays on the Philosophy of George Berkeley (Reidel, 1987)
 Douglas M. Jesseph, ‘Berkeley, God and Explanation’ in Christa Mercer and Eileen
O’Neill (eds.), Early Modern Philosophy: Mind, Matter and Metaphysics (OUP, 2005)
(ebook available via Birkbeck Library)
 Melissa Frankel, ‘Berkeley and God in the Quad’, Philosophy Compass (2012) 6: 38896 (available via Bikbeck elibrary)
Essay Question
o How does Berkeley argue for the existence of God? How plausible are his arguments?
Week 4
Berkeley’s Responses to Objections
Seminar Reading:
 George Berkeley, Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous, Third Dialogue
Additional Reading:
 Kenneth Winkler, Berkeley: An Interpretation (Clarendon Press, 1989), Ch. 9 (ebook
available via Birkbeck Library)
 Lisa Downing, ‘George Berkeley’ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/berkeley/
Essay Questions
o Which is the strongest of the objections raised by Hylas in the Third Dialogue? Does
Berkeley provide an adequate response to it?
o Is Hylas right that Berkeley acts unfairly in accepting spirit while rejecting matter?
Week 5
Leibniz on Necessity and Contingency I
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Seminar Reading:
 Gottfried Leibniz, ‘Necessary and Contingent Truths’ (in P and on Moodle) and ‘On
Freedom’ (in A&G and P)
Additional Reading:
 David Blumenfeld, ‘Leibniz on Contingency and Infinite Analysis’ Philosophy and
Phenomenological Research (1985) 45: 483-415
 Robert M. Adams, ‘Leibniz’s Theories of Contingency’ in his Leibniz: Determinist,
Theist, Idealist (OUP, 1999), Part 2 (ebook available via Birkbeck Library)
 John Carriero, ‘Leibniz on Infinite Resolution and Intra-Mundane Contingency. Part
One: Infinite Resolution’ Studia Leibnitiana (1993) 25: 1-26
Essay Question
o Does the notion of infinite analysis provide Leibniz with a satisfactory account of
contingency?
READING WEEK
Week 6
Leibniz on Necessity and Contingency II
Seminar Reading:
 Gottfried Leibniz, ‘On Freedom and Possibility’ (in A&G); Discourse §13 (in A&G
and P); extracts from the letters to Arnauld (in A&G and P)
Additional Reading:
 Robert M. Adams, ‘Leibniz’s Theories of Contingency’ in his Leibniz: Determinist,
Theist, Idealist (OUP, 1999), Part 1 (ebook available via Birkbeck Library)
 Martin Lin, ‘Rationalism and Necessitarianism’, Noûs (2102) 46: 418-448
 John Carriero, ‘Leibniz on Infinite Resolution and Intra-Mundane Contingency. Part
Two: Necessity, Contingency and the Divine Faculties’ Studia Leibnitiana (1995) 27:
1-30
Essay Question
o Why does Leibniz have difficulty in allowing for contingent truths? Does he have an
adequate solution to the difficulty?
Week 7
The Best of All Possible Worlds?
Seminar Reading:
 Gottfried Leibniz, ‘On the Ultimate Origination of Things’ (in A&G and P) and
‘Abridgement of the Theodicy’ (available online)
Additional Reading:
▪ Catherine Wilson, ‘Leibnizian Optimism’ Journal of Philosophy (1983) 80: 765-83
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▪
▪
Gregory Brown, ‘Leibniz’s Theodicy and the Confluence of Worldly Goods’ Journal
of the History of Philosophy (1988) 26: 571-91
David Blumenfeld, ‘Perfection and Happiness in the Best Possible World’ in Nicholas
Jolley (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to Leibniz (CUP, 1995)
(ebook available via Birkbeck Library)
Essay Questions:
o Does Leibniz have a coherent account of what makes a possible world the best?
o Does Leibniz offer a convincing defence of his claim that this world is the best of all
possible worlds?
Week 8
Mind, Body and Pre-established Harmony
Seminar Reading:
 Gottfried Leibniz, ‘New System of Nature’ with postscript (in A&G and P)
Additional Reading:
 Donald Rutherford, ‘Natures, Laws and Miracles: The Roots of Leibniz’s Critique of
Occasionalism’ in Stephen Nadler (ed.), Causation in Early Modern Philosophy
(Pennsylvania State University Press, 1993)
 Marleen Rozemond, ‘Leibniz on the Union of Body and Soul’, Archiv für Geschichte
der Philosophie (1997) 79: 150-178
Essay Question
o Leibniz claims that his doctrine of pre-established harmony provides the best account
of the relation between mind and body. Is he right?
Week 9
Monadology
Seminar Reading:
 Gottfried Leibniz, ‘Monadology’ (in A&G and P)
Additional Reading:
 Montgomery Furth, ‘Monadology’, Philosophical Review (1967) 76: 169-200
 Donald Rutherford, ‘Metaphysics: The Late Period’ in Nicholas Jolley (ed.) The
Cambridge Companion to Leibniz (CUP, 1995) (ebook available via Birkbeck Library)
Essay Question
o What are monads? Does Leibniz have good grounds for positing their existence?
Week 10
Monads and Matter
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Seminar Reading:
 Gottfried Leibniz, extracts from the letters to de Volder and to Des Bosses (in A&G)
Additional Reading:
 Brandon Look, ‘Leibniz’s Metaphysics and Metametaphysics: Idealism, Realism, and
the Nature of Substance’ Philosophy Compass (2010) 5: 871-9
 Donald Rutherford, ‘Leibniz as Idealist’ in Oxford Studies in Early Modern
Philosophy (2008) 4: 141-90
 Robert M. Adams, ‘Phenomenalism and Corporeal Substance in Leibniz’, Midwest
Studies in Philosophy (1983) 8: 217–257.
Essay Questions
o Explain and assess Leibniz’s claim that bodies are well-founded phenomena.
o Does Leibniz hold that bodies are real?
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