Phemister, Pauline

My aim in this paper is to explore Leibniz’s intriguing description of the monad as a living mirror of the universe. I begin with a few brief observations on the status of mirrors in seventeenth century France, before embarking on a more detailed examination of the metaphor itself that focuses in particular on the ways in which mirrors represent space and time, the varying degrees of clarity and distinctness of their representations, and the ways in which mirrors reflect themselves. After arguing that all reflections are reflections upon the past and that self-reflection rests in part on the ability to perceive others different from the self, I turn finally to the question of how self-reflecting moral beings might best reflect the lives of others, and conclude by suggesting that self-reflecting beings have a moral imperative to love other self-reflecting beings, be they in the past, the present or the future, and to mirror the beauty of the world and its creator God as best they can

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Leibniz's mirrors:Reflecting the past

https://www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/files/29264596/Phemister_Leibniz_s_Mirrors_paper2_1_.pdf

Leibniz's mirrors:Reflecting the past

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