The Monadology was written near the end of Leibniz’s and was intended as a summary of his philosophy, so you can expect to find him saying things you have already heard. But you will find some new things, too, and many differences in emphasis.
In the notes below, I’ve divided the sections into groups and have suggested some things to think about as you work through each group.
For Mon. 2/21
• §§1-13 monads. Do there really have to be simple substances? And does everything Leibniz says about monads follow from the fact they are substances and simple?
• §§14-24 perception. Versions of Leibniz’s mill argument in §17 are still used in discussions of the relation of mind and body. Do you find it persuasive? Why does he call monads “incorporeal automata”?
• §§25-30 animals and people. How different is memory from reason? What does Leibniz seem to mean by “reflective acts”?
• §§31-37 contradiction and sufficient reason. Why do you think Leibniz claims that there must be a sufficient reason for contingent truths of fact?
• §§38-48 God. Leibniz gives his version of the ontological argument in full in §45, but notice also the argument §44 that a necessary being is required in order for there even to be possibilities.
For Wed. 2/23
• §§49-60 perfection and harmony of the world. §§53-54 come as close as anything we will read to stating the view most closely associated with Leibniz—viz., this is the best of all possible worlds.
• §§61-70 composite substances. These sections probably add the most to what you’ve seen in other works. The idea that the universe is a plenum (i.e., is “full” without any vacuum) is clearly central to them. Think what grounds might he have for holding that view?
• §§71-78 souls. Although Leibniz argues for his version of “preformationism” on philosophical grounds, the view was widely held in his time, partly as a consequence of microscopic research, which had discovered spermatozoa only a few decades before.
• §§79-81 efficient and final causes. Notice here the association of efficient and final causes with bodies and souls respectively.
• §§82-90 minds and the city of God. And notice here the related parallel between God the architect and God the legislator.