The Letter as Abstraction, Knowledge and Disagreement. The Case of Leibniz

Authors

  • Juan Antonio Nicolás Universidad de Granada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5944/endoxa.38.2016.17158

Keywords:

Letter, correspondence, Leibniz, Newton, knowledge, misunderstanding

Abstract

Correspondence between intellectuals of different disciplines occupied a very important place in philosophical production between the 16th and 18th centuries.  The lack of scientific journals, publishers and email, made postal mail (at the speed possible at that time) one of the key factors for exchanging knowledge, discussion and discovering new findings. In this paper a reflection on the relevance of the letter in the construction of knowledge is presented. Three main features stand out. First, the isolated letter is an abstraction regarding its own context, the set of correspondence between two or more authors. Second, the letter is a fundamental product, not only for disseminating knowledge among specialists, but also for its discovery and creation. Finally, the exchange of letters is not only an essential means of communication between scientists, politicians and intellectuals, but has also sometimes been the platform where confrontations of historical significance have taken place. All these reflections are illustrated through texts and examples from the vast correspondence of Leibniz.

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Author Biography

Juan Antonio Nicolás, Universidad de Granada

Catedrático de Filosofía del Departamento de Filosofía II de la Universidad de Granada.

References

- LEIBNIZ, G.W. (2011), Obras filosóficas y científicas, trad. B. Orio de Miguel, vols. 17A y 17B: Correspondencia III, ed. Comares, Granada.

- LEIBNIZ, G.W. (2016), Obras filosóficas y científicas, trad. E. Rada, vol. 18: Correspondencia V, ed. Comares, Granada.

- CUBELLS, M.R. (en prensa), “La correspondencia de Leibniz en el conjunto de la obra leibniziana“ en J.A. Nicolás, M. Mendonça (eds.), Guía Comares de Leibniz (Monadología), ed. Comares, Granada.

- GÄDEKE, N. (2009), “Leibniz lässt sich informieren. Asymmetrien in seinen Korrespondenzbeziehungen”, en K.D. Herbst, S. Kratochwil (Hrsg.), Kommunikation in der frühen Neuzeit, P. Lang Verlag, Frankfurt a.M., 25-46.

- GUILLÉN VERA, T. (1990), “Los Nuevos Ensayos. Ensayo de un diálogo pretendido”, Azafea, 3, 63-86.

- TATON, R. (1976), “Le rôle et l’importance des correspondences scientifiques aux XVIIe et XVIII siècles”, Revue de Synthèse, 81-82, 7-22.

- ÜTERMÖEHLEN, G. (1976) “La correspondence de Leibniz et son édition dans les ‘Sämtliche Schriften und Briefe’”, Revue de Synthèse, 81-82, 95-106.

Published

2016-12-22

How to Cite

Nicolás, J. A. (2016). The Letter as Abstraction, Knowledge and Disagreement. The Case of Leibniz. ENDOXA, (38), 255–270. https://doi.org/10.5944/endoxa.38.2016.17158

Issue

Section

Essays in honor of Quintín Racionero

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