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Ideas from 'True Method in Philosophy and Theology' by Gottfried Leibniz [1686], by Theme Structure

[found in 'Leibniz Selections' by Leibniz,Gottfried (ed/tr Wiener,Philip P.) [Scribners 1951,]].

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7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 6. Criterion for Existence
19393 What is not active is nothing
                        Full Idea: We can now show from the inner truths of metaphysics that what is not active is nothing.
                        From: Gottfried Leibniz (True Method in Philosophy and Theology [1686], p.64)
                        A reaction: This is Leibniz's rebellion against the Cartesian idea that all that matters for natural existence is spatial extension. I agree (tentatively) with Leibniz's vision of nature here. Modern physics reveals a seething turmoil beneath the placid exterior.