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Full Idea
Intelligible truth is independent of the truth or of the existence outside us of sensible and material things. ....It is generally true that we only know necessary truths by the natural light [of reason]
Gist of Idea
Intelligible truth is independent of any external things or experiences
Source
Gottfried Leibniz (Letters to Queen Charlotte [1702], 1702)
Book Ref
Leibniz,Gottfried: 'Leibniz Selections', ed/tr. Wiener,Philip P. [Scribners 1951], p.360
A Reaction
A nice quotation summarising a view for which Leibniz is famous - that there is a tight correlation between necessary truths and our a priori knowledge of them. The obvious challenge comes from Kripke's claim that scientists can discover necessities.
| 13189 | A necessary feature (such as air for humans) is not therefore part of the essence [Leibniz] |
| 19432 | Intelligible truth is independent of any external things or experiences [Leibniz] |
| 19430 | We know objects by perceptions, but their qualities don't reveal what it is we are perceiving [Leibniz] |
| 19431 | There is nothing in the understanding but experiences, plus the understanding itself, and the understander [Leibniz] |
| 23026 | We know mathematical axioms, such as subtracting equals from equals leaves equals, by a natural light [Leibniz] |