Vis activa primitiva i metafizyczne podstawy dynamiki Leibniza

Rafał Michalski

doi:10.18290/rf25734.3

Published : 2025-12-29

Vol. 73 No. 4 (2025)

Vis Activa Primitiva and the Metaphysical Foundations of Leibniz’s Dynamics

Rafał Michalski

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9587-5074

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rf25734.3

Abstract

This article examines Leibniz’s dynamics as an integral part of his philosophical system, where physics and the metaphysics of substance and force are inseparable. While Leibniz does not explicitly refer to monads in his theory of dynamics, he already envisions a world fundamentally structured by immaterial centers of force. The study reconstructs the key concepts of Leibnizian dynamics, particularly the notion of vis activa primitiva and its role in determining both the phenomenal and metaphysical order. By analyzing its relation to the law of series and the unity of substance, the article argues that Leibniz’s theory of force provides a bridge between mechanics and metaphysics, challenging the Cartesian reduction of motion to mere geometric relations.

Keywords:

Leibniz, dynamics, vis activa primitiva, monads, metaphysics of force, Cartesian mechanics, law of series

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Michalski, R. (2025). Vis Activa Primitiva and the Metaphysical Foundations of Leibniz’s Dynamics. Roczniki Filozoficzne, 73(4), 35–50. https://doi.org/10.18290/rf25734.3

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