| Abstract [eng] |
This thesis explores G. W. Leibniz's characteristica universalis, the concept of an artificial a priori language. Although it is one of Leibniz's most fundamental projects, there is no clear resolution of the concept in Leibniz's writings or in his philosophical interpretations. This thesis therefore seeks to highlight the status of characteristica universalis in the context of Leibniz's philosophy, arguing that characteristica universalis is a way of defining the structure of language, thought and reality. In the course of such argument, Leibniz's idealist identity of thought and reality is confirmed by pointing out how characteristica universalis, which categorises the ideas of thought, provides an outline of all existing and possible ideas, thus giving a priori access to the entire content of thought. According to an idealist interpretation of Leibniz’s philosophy, reality is understood as dependent on thinking, and therefore by defining thought, characteristica universalis defines reality. Characteristica universalis specifies the field of possibilities of reality, i.e. by defining the possible modes of existence of substances, thus extending the potentiality of reality into actuality and a priori defining all possible combinations and modifications of reality. |
