UDC

165.42

Authors

Nikolay B. Tetenkov
Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov; prosp. Lomonosova 4, Arkhangelsk, 163006, Russian Federation;
e-mail: tenibo@yandex.ru

Abstract

This paper deals with the formation of the concept of subjectivity in The Monadology by Gottfried Leibniz and with his understanding of subjectivity, as well as with the use and transformation of this understanding in contemporary philosophy. The Monadology had never been studied in this aspect before. Leibniz, on the one hand, follows the Cartesian and Spinozian traditions in understanding subjectivity, when he considers the self from the metaphysical point of view: in the same way as Descartes and Spinoza, Leibniz saw the religious reason for subjectivity, individuation, and imperfection of monads. On the other hand, he talks about the unity of the body and soul, which conflicts with these traditions and enables him to take a fresh look at subjectivity. The thesis about the unity of the body and soul allows Leibniz to put forward a hypothesis on the link between subjectivity and the unconscious; this assumption will later be picked up and developed by psychoanalytic philosophy. A similar dual position is held by Leibniz in his definition of the monad: on the one hand, he sees the monad as a simple substance, but on the other, he speaks of multiple relations and states in the monad. In this way Leibniz comes to the idea of multiple subjectivity. He extends the notion of subjectivity by applying it to both humans and animals. The modern theories of subjectivity utilize and develop Leibniz’s ideas about the relationship between the unconscious and subjectivity, the multiplicity of subjectivity, the connection between subjectivity and the corporeal, as well as the extended understanding of subjectivity. Thus, the ideas of Leibniz have practical significance for contemporary philosophy.

Keywords

G. Leibniz, The Monadology, C.G. Jung, G. Deleuze, S. Freud, monad, subjectivity, multiplicity, the unconscious, fractality

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