Leibniz’ 1669-1671 manuscript “Elements of Natural Right” – first published in the 21st century – provides keen insights into problems of political philosophy and marks the outset of Leibniz’ engagement with the Hobbesian indivisible sovereignty idea. While concurring with the Sage of Malmesbury that any state worthy of the name is a security system, Leibniz – via reversal of Hobbes’ contention security produces happiness – throws open a series of questions related to “retrotraction” and the sta…
Read moreLeibniz’ 1669-1671 manuscript “Elements of Natural Right” – first published in the 21st century – provides keen insights into problems of political philosophy and marks the outset of Leibniz’ engagement with the Hobbesian indivisible sovereignty idea. While concurring with the Sage of Malmesbury that any state worthy of the name is a security system, Leibniz – via reversal of Hobbes’ contention security produces happiness – throws open a series of questions related to “retrotraction” and the state legitimacy problematic. Citizens’ cognitive capacity to link current state crisis manifestations to past ones - to “retrotract” - is seen as determining whether dissolution of the state is immanent, and the functioning of such capacity is described as intimately linked to self-perceived happiness of individuals. The plurality of happiness possibilities in various polities in turn is conceptualized by Leibniz as proof of degrees of state quality and sovereignty, degrees of sovereignty constituting Hobbes’ bête noire
