however i wanted to lead gradually into the model investigation of fiction, rather to approaches , to approach it to parsley in order to reveal to show you certain from downtown fictional traits , that can be found in the scientific use of fictions and hypothesis , we have to consider it, and in fact we had to choose the starting point , and not only the model point of view , because of the authors who in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries , express the strongest reservations about the consideration of the real of possibilities , so we had to consider first fiction as an abstraction.
it was more general, it concerns old philosophers of tourist in modern times, but it's not enough, and this is how we don't identified descartes the importance of a narrative of a diachronic dimension, this dimension must not be lost now， this narrative dimension must not be lost now , at the moment , when the phases of the exhaustion of material forms presents us with the difficult observation of the postulation of necessity , that most animate effective world , and that needs that requires as to approach fiction from the point of view of modalities , that's we are going to do now,further more , you're going to discover that these simple postulates the cartesian and postulate , that matter most successively assume all the forms , all which it is capable, this postulate comes back in the decision of humans of libniz on the model status of fiction .
we are i won't talk only about libniz , but of course libniz is now the most important figures offered to consider , during the first sequence of my work , we had to read descartes carefully now , we have to deal with libniz, for the moment , please pay attention to it , i should simply stipulate that by addressing this aspect of my analysis fiction according to modalities, i am not limiting myself to the case in which fiction maintains its narrative quality .
i suggested in order to stay clear of suggesting that fiction, thereby retains a general doctor, so let's come to two points.
i think that the the authentic problem in fact there are several the authentic problems raised by the model interpretation of fiction , do not emerge until we consider them in this relatively in a bullet form , we have to consider fictions as narratives in order to reach the fundamental problems raised by modality , and these problems may be identified in libniz, who during this period develops precisely, the most important theory of modality, and in fact the most important theory of modality since aristotle , uh i suspect you do not know many things about libniz .
so uh i will give you all you have to know in order to understand those points , but perhaps it will be useful to tell you a few words , because most of you are scientists , so to tell you a few words about libniz as a scientist as you knew almost all feels al of philosophers in modern times, are at least concerned with science and most of them are important scientists especially during the seventeenth century, and this is a case for libniz , yes i already expounded the law of continuity last time, i guess we remember , but uh you must know you must， know that libniz developed the infinitesimal calculus uh independently of newton , there is a and enormous quarrel , uh about this point uh in fact we have good reasons to believe that newton invented calculus first, but the fact is that it is a notation the mathematical notation of libniz, that has been widely used fROM the eighteenth century .
so libniz invented these mathematical notation for the infinitesimal calculus , and it has been widely used from the eighteenth century especially in mechanics, it is also worth mentioning , he's incredible libniz is an incredible man , he was the first scientists , it is worth mentioning his contributions to the field of mechanical calculators ,he made important discoveries concerning mechanical calculators , he added multiplication and division to the calculator invented by pascal in forty two , that very same century , there is no a link between this and fiction.
but ah choose a photo of pascale calculator , perhaps you have never seen it before, that's it and uh the name is pascaline, first making make an equal calculator invented by pascal .
where it only calculated addition and subtraction, leibniz added multiplication , and division to this machine , that is the reason why uh pascaline invented this machine , and that is the reason why his name pascal as you know uh was given to a programming language , his name is given to a programming language, because of this machine , and lastly leibnizis also improved the binary number system.
he did important improvements to this beanery numeric system , of which you know better than me, the importance of groups, so perhaps this will make you take leibniz seriously, okay um to understand the remarkable phases of leibniz on fictions , i have to make some kind of small summary analogous to the one. i gave you on the descartes, so we're last time it was quite useful , i will do the same for leibniz, okay to realize the important part , play by leibniz in a model approach to fiction , i will though summarize some facets of uh of his very demanding conception of rationality.
first point, the most important decisions the most important decision lies probably in an absolutely general definition of truth , okay leibniz is giving us an absolutely according to him absolutely general definition of truth , concept id as the inclusion of the predicate into the subject , for each proposition truth means the inclusion of the predicate into the subject, let's be more precise, in case , so the first decision and i think it's important to know, this whatever you are studying .
i will do it five points.
first the definition of truth by the inclusion of the predicate in the subject, and he's distinguishing two kinds of truth, two kinds, in case of necessary truth , for instance mathematical truth pretty gates are in a finite number , pretty gates are in a finite number , and it is possible at least by right , it is possible at least by by right to demonstrate these truth by reducing the proposition to identity , okay this is a reduce a finite number of three decades , and it is possible to demonstrate by right it is possible to demonstrate these truth , true a reduction to identity , the problem, and the difficulty is calm with contingent truth , this is going to be of far more uh far more difficult truth necessary.
i won't speak about necessary truth and contingent truth, they are irreducible to mayor identity according to leibniz , contingent truth are irreducible to mayor identity, and when the express, pay attention please , when the express the notions of evens , that occur in this world , there are contingent truth about this world , for instance that caesar cross the rubicon, that is a contingent truth about this world all.
in fact , that the any level of nature is so this is also a contingent truth , laws of nature according to light needs are contingent truth, so concerning the events in this world , the notions of the events that will cure in this world , or the notions of existing beings of existing creatures, pretty gates are in infinity in finite member , so for contingent truth it is impossible to reduce them to mayor identity , and predicate are in an in finite number , why are pretty gates and in finite number , when we deal with truth about evens or existing beings in this world, that is the second point , perhaps you know about it, because the motions corresponding to beings existing beings these notions express their integration in the whole world.
this notion, these notions express the integrations of these beings in the whole world , let's take two examples, that leibniz there is uh often using, the notion of adam, the first man the notion of adam or the notion of caesar , they contain an infinite number of pretty gates, which did you mean not only their actions , the notions of those beings determine age their actions to be clear, the notion of adam indicates that he won't commit the original scene , this isn't his notion this notion indicates he would commit the original sin and the motion of caesar that he would cross the rubicon, that he would cross the rubicon , before entering rome , the predicate do not only determine their actions , so pretty gates are about all the events , all the events either in the best , all means of future , which in the created world , they belong , is that cle
okay the notion i resumed the notion of adams caesar or you okay the the determine your actions ,committing the original seen concerning adam, okay but also all the events that a cure in the world they be longer.
yes please a lower scale of the the second , for the new measure after added oh , it is if he is the first man in the bible , the first man created by god and he committed the original scene well , this is only an example, that's it okay what caesar, julius caesar ah sorry it's quite famous even in china, i guess you should have told me, before you are not used to it.
but it doesn't matter in fact you could choose confucius, it would also be true according to leibniz okay, so you see it's very original, of course some truth may be considered about jews figures , it is true that caesar crossed the rubicon , but if we talking about truth according to leibniz , then we have to then we have to consider that a certain notion is including the pretty gates , we are considering for instance the notion of caesar, includes this predicate crossing the rubicon, this is the very condition in order to talk of a truth about them, but concerning existing beings , they're all and infinite number of pretty gates and of course you cannot reduce nobody not even god , can reduce to truth to make identity whereas it is possible , for necessary truth, according to leibniz okay .
