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Full Idea
A plurality of things can neither be understood nor can exist unless one first understands the thing that is one, that to which the multitude necessarily reduces.
Gist of Idea
To exist and be understood, a multitude must first be reduced to a unity
Source
Gottfried Leibniz (Notes on Comments by Fardella [1690], Prop 3)
Book Ref
Leibniz,Gottfried: 'Philosophical Essays', ed/tr. Arlew,R /Garber,D [Hackett 1989], p.103
A Reaction
Notice that it is our need to understand which imposes the unity on the multitude. It is not just some random fiction, or a meaningless mechanical act of thought.
| 15856 | A thing can become one or many, depending on how we talk about it [Plato] |
| 17839 | Some things are unified by their account, which rests on a unified thought about the thing [Aristotle] |
| 2297 | If I can separate two things in my understanding, then God can separate them in reality [Descartes] |
| 13160 | To exist and be understood, a multitude must first be reduced to a unity [Leibniz] |
| 12746 | We find unity in reason, and unity in perception, but these are not true unity [Leibniz] |
| 12035 | Leibniz bases pure primitive entities on conjunctions of qualitative properties [Leibniz, by Adams,RM] |
| 20362 | We saw unity in things because our ego seemed unified (but now we doubt the ego!) [Nietzsche] |
| 14252 | We should understand identity in terms of the propositions it renders true [Fine,K] |
| 13332 | Hierarchical set membership models objects better than the subset or aggregate relations do [Fine,K] |
| 14928 | Things are abstractions from structures [Ladyman/Ross] |
| 14481 | Wherever an object exists, there are intrinsic properties instantiating every modal profile [Thomasson] |