Monad
WHAT IS A MONAD? IT’S FEATURES, PERCEPTION:
1. Two reasons to know what a monad is: to distinguish a monad from other elements of nature & to know the nature of substance in nature. How do we know that monad exists? Monad cannot be seen. We only reflect on our experiences and realize that they are made of monads.
2. Features of Monad: while monad is indivisible like the atom, a more appropriate comparison would be with that of soul.
* It is simple like the soul.
* It is that which constitutes the universe. * It is imperishable. It does not have a cycle of birth and death. Beginning & end of monad:
*It comes into being at the creation of the universe and ceases during dissolution of the world. * It has a unity, that is, it is a united whole. * It has no parts.
Created Monad
*Though it has no parts, it can be differentiated in the sense that it has the potentiality (Leibniz's term: possibility) of differentiation. (Analogy: seed & fetus). Understanding the difference between monad and created monad can help us to understand the differentiation in a monad. Like a seed germinates into a plant, a monad can evolve into a created monad. This created monad can be differentiated within itself and from other monads. What helps us to differentiate created monads is their essence. For instance, an apple tree can only give apple, not an orange. A monad becomes a created monad through perception. Perception is the point of interaction between the actual world and Leibniz's theory.
Monad Exist as possibility
* It is not a contradiction for a monad to be part less and yet differentiated. While there is an eternal unity in the monad, it can be differentiated within itself.
*It has no shape/size/extension. (Analogy: point in mathematics) o Difference between atom and monad: The presence of the quality of possibility of differentiation acts as a
1. Two reasons to know what a monad is: to distinguish a monad from other elements of nature & to know the nature of substance in nature. How do we know that monad exists? Monad cannot be seen. We only reflect on our experiences and realize that they are made of monads.
2. Features of Monad: while monad is indivisible like the atom, a more appropriate comparison would be with that of soul.
* It is simple like the soul.
* It is that which constitutes the universe. * It is imperishable. It does not have a cycle of birth and death. Beginning & end of monad:
*It comes into being at the creation of the universe and ceases during dissolution of the world. * It has a unity, that is, it is a united whole. * It has no parts.
Created Monad
*Though it has no parts, it can be differentiated in the sense that it has the potentiality (Leibniz's term: possibility) of differentiation. (Analogy: seed & fetus). Understanding the difference between monad and created monad can help us to understand the differentiation in a monad. Like a seed germinates into a plant, a monad can evolve into a created monad. This created monad can be differentiated within itself and from other monads. What helps us to differentiate created monads is their essence. For instance, an apple tree can only give apple, not an orange. A monad becomes a created monad through perception. Perception is the point of interaction between the actual world and Leibniz's theory.
Monad Exist as possibility
* It is not a contradiction for a monad to be part less and yet differentiated. While there is an eternal unity in the monad, it can be differentiated within itself.
*It has no shape/size/extension. (Analogy: point in mathematics) o Difference between atom and monad: The presence of the quality of possibility of differentiation acts as a