Syllabus
* Week 1
The Principle of Identity of Indiscernibles (PII): (i) General introduction on the topic, (ii) alternative formulations of the principle, (iii) scope of the principle (epistemology, ontology, modality, semantics), (iv) strategies of determination and verification of the principle by means of practical and theoretical models.
* Week 2
Systematic considerations.
Main reading:
Black, Max (1952). The identity of indiscernibles. Mind 61 (242):153-164 1. Presentation (i) on what formulations of PII can be found in Black (1952), (ii) on the scope of PII in Black (1952), (iii) on models of PII (and their application) taken into consideration in Black (1952).
Auxiliary literature:
Forrest, Peter (2016). "The Identity of Indiscernibles", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = .
* Week 3
Space-time models. Means of verification or means of determination of PII? 2. Presentation of correlated minutes of the last session:
Black, Max (1952). The identity of indiscernibles. Mind 61 (242):153-164
Forrest, Peter (2016). "The Identity of Indiscernibles", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = .
Main reading:
Nichols, Ryan (1999). Space, Individuation and the Identity of Indiscernibles: Leibniz's Triumph Over Strawson. Studia Leibnitiana 31 (2):181-195.
Auxiliary literature:
O'Connor, D. J. (1953). The Identity of Indiscernibles. Analysis 14 (5):103 - 110.
Rescher, Nicholas (1955). The identity of indiscernibles: A reinterpretation. Journal of Philosophy 52 (6):152-155.
* Week 4
Interpreting PII in terms of sharing properties - satisfying the same predicative functions. 3. Presentation on rendering PII more plausible by limiting its scope: excluding some or all many-place predicates - all or only symmetric relations.
Main reading:
Forrest, Peter (2016). "The Identity of Indiscernibles", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = .
Auxiliary literature: shared with previous session.
* Week 5
Semantic interpretation.
Main reading:
Bar-Elli, Gilead (1982). Identity and the Formation of the Notion of Object. Or: The Identity of Indiscernibles: A Synthetic a Priori. Erkenntnis 17 (2):229 - 248. 4. Presentation of correlated minutes of the last session.
Auxiliary literature:
Ketland, Jeffrey (2006). Structuralism and the identity of indiscernibles. Analysis 66 (4):303- 315.
* Week 6
Presuppositions regarding ontology.
Main reading:
Quine, Willard V. (1948). On What There Is. Review of Metaphysics 2 (1):21-38. 5. Presentation on:
Laycock, Henry (2004). “Variables, Generality and Existence”, in Paolo Valore (ed.), Topics on General and Formal Ontology, Milano: Polimetrica, 27-52.
Auxiliary literature:
Boolos, George (1984). To be is to be a value of a variable (or to be some values of some variables). Journal of Philosophy 81 (8):430-449.
* Week 7
Leibniz’s original account. Precise formulation - 3 keywords: (i) an individual, (ii) entire similarity, (iii) numerical difference. No objects, no identities.
Main reading:
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Philosophical Papers and Letters. Edited and translated by Leroy E. Loemker. 2d ed., Dordrect: D. Reidel, 1969: pp. 268, 308, 336, 534, 645, 687, 699, 700. 6. Presentation on an account of an individual (the first keyword) based on previous session.
Auxiliary literature:
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Die philosophischen Schriften. 7 vols. Edited by C. I. Gerhardt. Berlin, 1875-90. Reprint, Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1965.
* Week 8
PII and salva veritate.
Main reading:
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Philosophical Papers and Letters. Edited and translated by Leroy E. Loemker. 2d ed., Dordrect: D. Reidel, 1969: pp. 268, 371, 516, 666-674. 7. Presentation on:
Mates, Benson (1986). The Philosophy of Leibniz: Metaphysics and Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press: pp. 130-140
Auxiliary literature:
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Die philosophischen Schriften. 7 vols. Edited by C. I. Gerhardt. Berlin, 1875-90. Reprint, Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1965.
Russell, Bertrand (1900). A Critical Exposition of the Philosophy of Leibniz, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: p. 102
* Week 9
Complete similarity and indiscernibility as a matter of a point of view.
Main reading:
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Philosophical Papers and Letters. Edited and translated by Leroy E. Loemker. 2d ed., Dordrect: D. Reidel, 1969: pp. 680-710 8. Presentation on:
Hacking, Ian (1975). The identity of indiscernibles. Journal of Philosophy 72 (9):249-256.
Auxiliary literature:
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Die philosophischen Schriften. 7 vols. Edited by C. I. Gerhardt. Berlin, 1875-90. Reprint, Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1965.
* Week 10
Numerical difference and identity as compared to other forms of differences and identities.
Main reading:
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Philosophical Papers and Letters. Edited and translated by Leroy E. Loemker. 2d ed., Dordrect: D. Reidel, 1969: pp. 300-350 9. Presentation on:
Mugnai, Massimo (2001). Leibniz on Individuation: From the Early Years to the "Discourse" and Beyond. Studia Leibnitiana 33 (1):36 - 54.
* Week 11
A real being.
Main reading:
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Philosophical Papers and Letters. Edited and translated by Leroy E. Loemker. 2d ed., Dordrect: D. Reidel, 1969: pp. 268, 308, 336, 534, 645, 687, 699, 700. 10. Presentation on an account of an individual (the first keyword) based on previous reading.
Auxiliary literature:
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Die philosophischen Schriften. 7 vols. Edited by C. I. Gerhardt. Berlin, 1875-90. Reprint, Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1965.
* Week 12
Reality of relations and a mirroring structure.
Main reading:
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Philosophical Papers and Letters. Edited and translated by Leroy E. Loemker. 2d ed., Dordrect: D. Reidel, 1969: pp. 268, 308, 336, 534, 645, 687, 699, 700. 11. Presentation on the independence of a monad.
Auxiliary literature:
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Die philosophischen Schriften. 7 vols. Edited by C. I. Gerhardt. Berlin, 1875-90. Reprint, Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1965.
* Week 13
Closing discussion. 12. Presentations on selected issues - if needed.
Annotation
The course aims to explore various ways of interpreting Leibniz’s so called “Principle of Identity of Indiscernibles”.
We will proceed from examining contemporary renderings of the issue with all their misconceptions and dead ends to meticulous reading of Leibniz’s own formulations accompanied by thought provoking commentaries, building gradually understanding and appreciation for subtleties of Leibniz’s original account. Full philosophical import of the doctrine will be shown to encompass both challenging criteria of what does it mean for something to be real and what does it mean to “differ only in number”. Though historical method will be pursued while delving deep into layers Leibniz’s text, our focus will remain rather systematic throughout the entire exploratory enterprise: by trying to appropriate Leibniz’s elusive insights, we will testify the limits of our own conceptual resources, paving therewith way for their effective critique. In this respect especially logic of reference and correlated notion of an entity will be subject to thorough scrutiny.