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Theodicy and Reason Logic, Metaphysics THEODICY AND REASONTHEODICY Philosophica 2 — Theodicy and Reason Logic, Metaphysics, GERETTO, PERISSINOTTO CAMPOSAMPIERO, FAVARETTI and Theology in Leibniz’s Essais de Théodicée (1710) edited by Matteo Favaretti Camposampiero, Mattia Geretto, and Luigi Perissinotto Edizioni Ca’Foscari Theodicy and Reason Philosophica Collana diretta da Luigi Perissinotto Cecilia Rofena 2 Edizioni Ca’Foscari Philosophica Direttori Luigi Perissinotto (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Cecilia Rofena (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Comitato scientifico Silvana Borutti (Università degli studi di Pavia, Italia) Jean-Pierre Cometti (Université de Provence - Aix-Marseille I, France) Arnold Davidson (University of Chicago, USA) Roberta Dreon (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Giuseppe Goisis (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Daniele Goldoni (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Mauro Nobile (Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Italia) Gian Luigi Paltrinieri (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Vicente Sanfélix Vidarte (Universitat de València-Estudi General, España) Direzione e redazione Univerisità Ca’ Foscari Venezia Dipartimento di Filosofia e Beni Culturali Palazzo Malcanton Marcorà Dorsoduro 3484/D, 30123 Venezia http://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/col/dbc/10/Philosophica Theodicy and Reason Logic, Metaphysics, and Theology in Leibniz’s Essais de Théodicée (1710) edited by Matteo Favaretti Camposampiero, Mattia Geretto, and Luigi Perissinotto Venezia Edizioni Ca’ Foscari - Digital Publishing 2016 Theodicy and Reason: Logic, Metaphysics, and Theology in Leibniz’s Essais de Théodicée (1710) edited by Matteo Favaretti Camposampiero, Mattia Geretto, and Luigi Perissinotto © 2016 Matteo Favaretti Camposampiero, Mattia Geretto e Luigi Perissinotto per il testo © 2015 Edizioni Ca’ Foscari - Digital Publishing per la presente edizione Qualunque parte di questa pubblicazione può essere riprodotta, memorizzata in un sistema di recupero dati o trasmessa in qualsiasi forma o con qualsiasi mezzo, elettronico o meccanico, senza autorizzazione, a condizione che se ne citi la fonte. Any part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission provided that the source is fully credited. Edizioni Ca’ Foscari - Digital Publishing Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia Dorsoduro 1686 30123 Venezia http://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/ [email protected] 1a edizione giugno 2016 ISBN 978-88-6969-083-9 (ebook) ISBN 978-88-6969-084-6 (stampa) Theodicy and Reason: Logic, Metaphysics, and Theology in Leibniz’s Essais de Théodicée (1710) — 1. ed. — Venezia : Edizioni Ca’ Foscari - Digital Publishing, 2016. — 240 pp.; 23 cm. — (Philosophica; 2). — ISBN 978-88-6969-084-6. http://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/col/exp/10/99/Philosophica/2 DOI 10.14277/978-88-6969-084-6 Theodicy and Reason Logic, Metaphysics, and Theology in Leibniz’s Essais de Théodicée (1710) edited by Matteo Favaretti Camposampiero, Mattia Geretto, and Luigi Perissinotto Contents Abbreviations 7 Introduction Matteo Favaretti Camposampiero, Mattia Geretto, Luigi Perissinotto 9 PART I. CONSTRUCTING REASONS: LOGIC AND RHETORIC Tales of Destiny Logic and Rhetoric in Leibniz’s Myths for Theodicy Stefano Di Bella 17 «Mes papiers sont assez en désordre» Some Notes on the Philosophical Language and Metaphors of the Essais de Théodicée Cristina Marras 45 Mathematical Similes in Leibniz’s Theodicy Enrico Pasini 63 PART II. A WORLD OF REASONS: METAPHYSICS Creaturely Action in Leibniz’s Theodicy Francesco Piro 87 On What There Already Is Leibniz’s Theory of Time Federico Perelda 111 Counterfactual Hypotheses, Fictions, and the Laws of Nature The Arguments for Contingency in Leibniz, Wolff, and Bilfinger Matteo Favaretti Camposampiero 141 Receptions of Leibniz’s Pre-established Harmony Wolff and Baumgarten Gualtiero Lorini 163 PART III. CHALLENGING REASON: REVELATION AND THE PROBLEM OF EVIL The Sanctity of Reason and Complementarity of Revelation in the Essais de Théodicée Mattia Geretto 183 Leibniz and the Anti-Theodicy of Bayle Stefano Brogi 197 Justifying Leibniz, or the Infinite Patience of Reasoning Gian Luigi Paltrinieri 213 Index of Names 235 Theodicy and Reason Logic, Metaphysics, and Theology in Leibniz’s Essais de Théodicée (1710) edited by Matteo Favaretti Camposampiero, Mattia Geretto, and Luigi Perissinotto Abbreviations Works by Descartes AT Oeuvres de Descartes. 11 vols. Ed. Charles Adam, Paul Tannery. Paris: Vrin; CNRS, 1964-1976. CSM The Philosophical Writings of Descartes. 2 vols. Transl. John Cottingham, Robert Stoothoff, and Dugald Murdoch. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984. Works by Leibniz A Sämtliche Schriften und Briefe. Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 1923 ss. C Opuscules et fragments inédits de Leibniz. Extraits des manuscrits de la Bibliothèque royale de Hanovre. Ed. Louis Couturat. Paris: Alcan, 1903. Dutens Opera omnia, nunc primum collecta. 6 vols. Ed. Louis Dutens. Genevae: Tournes, 1768. GP Die philosophischen Schriften von Leibniz. 7 vols. Ed. Carl Immanuel Gerhardt. Berlin: Weidemann, 1875-1890. Grua Textes inédits d’après les manuscrits de la Bibliothèque provinciale de Hanovre. 2 vols. Ed. Gaston Grua. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1948. Guhrauer Leibnitz’s Deutsche Schriften. 2 vols. Ed. Gottschalk Eduard Guhrauer. Berlin: Veit und Comp., 1838-1840. Théodicée Essais de Théodicée sur la bonté de Dieu, la liberté de l’homme et l’origine du mal. Amsterdam: Troyel, 1710 (now in GP VI). Theodicy Theodicy. Essays on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man and the Origin of Evil. Trans. E.M. Huggard. La Salle, Ill.: Open Court, 1985. Theodicy and Reason Logic, Metaphysics, and Theology in Leibniz’s Essais de Théodicée (1710) edited by Matteo Favaretti Camposampiero, Mattia Geretto, and Luigi Perissinotto Introduction Matteo Favaretti Camposampiero, Mattia Geretto, Luigi Perissinotto (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Since their first appearance in 1710, Leibniz’s Essais de théodicée have rapidly become one of the most influential and resounding fruits of early modern philosophy. Quite a well-known work, one might think. However, after three centuries of controversies and debates, this work still appears in need of careful scrutiny and clarification. Although the main tenets of Leibniz’s vindication of the goodness of God are familiar to every scholar, the arguments Leibniz employs for that purpose, as well as their historical and conceptual background, are by no means common knowledge. Nor is the philosophical depth of the theodicean doctrines always easy to ap- preciate. Due to its apparent simplicity, Leibniz’s Theodicy has sometimes suffered from a sort of trivialization. The book we propose is an attempt to restore Theodicy to a more balanced assessment of its complexity. The title we chose for this volume hints at one of the key terms in Leib- niz’s book, namely the word ‘reason’. This word is taken by Leibniz in all its different, though not unrelated meanings: reason as rational ground or argument; reason as universal order of the world; reason as human cogni- tive faculty, always in quest for reasons... In fact, each meaning of ‘reason’ offers a different perspective on Theodicy itself. Such plurality of views is reflected by the internal structure of this volume: the ten contributions collected are distributed in three sections encompassing the domains of logic and language, metaphysics, and rational theology. The first section – Constructing Reasons: Logic and Rhetoric – contains papers devoted to some characteristic features of Leibniz’s style and ar- gumentation in the Theodicy. Close attention is paid to the fact that, in this work, reasons are given not only by developing demonstrative argu- ments, but also by exploiting rhetoric devices such as metaphors, similes, and fables. Stefano Di Bella focuses on two short stories used by Leibniz to address theodicean issues: the famous fable of Sextus in the concluding paragraphs of the Theodicy and the far less known, but even more literar- ily sophisticated tale of Deucalion and Pyrrha, which appears at the end of De libertate, fato, gratia Dei. In both cases, the use of the mythological veil consists in providing a fictional context where the divine intervention can fit into the juridical framework of theodicy. Di Bella’s paper offers a Philosophica 2 DOI 10.14277/6969-083-9/PHIL-2-0 ISBN [ebook] 978-88-6969-083-9 | ISBN [print] 978-88-6969-084-6 | © 2016 9 Theodicy and Reason, pp. 9-14 comparative analysis of these two texts in order to show that under the surface of their brilliant narrative and imaginative solutions lies, in fact, a specimen of Leibniz’s clear insight into the metaphysics of creation and theodicy. The various rhetorical and stylistic features that characterize Leibniz’s use of language in the Theodicy are investigated by Cristina Marras as essential parts of the philosophical discourse developed in this work. High- lighting the deep connection between certain philosophical claims and the specific rhetorical devices used to formulate them, Marras advocates the general view that the metaphorical discourse plays a crucial role in the exposition of Leibniz’s most fundamental doctrines, so that some ba- sic metaphors are, in fact, never to be ‘cashed out’ in non-metaphorical language. To appreciate the fact that most Leibnizian metaphors are ir- reducible to literal paraphrases, Marras suggests considering these single rhetorical items not in isolation but as forming a network of metaphors, which
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