On Some Aspects of Leibnizian Theory of Mind

While reading on the cover of the Polish edition of the book Goodbye, Descartes: the End of Logic and the Search for a New Cosmology of the mind, the words written by the well known American mathematician Keith Devlin, we discover that the reflection on language and human perception has played a major role in the history of philosophy and science. Nowadays in times of artificial intelligence research and the development of information technology, the role of psychologists, language philosophers, sociologists and linguists has gained significant weight. The answers to questions like: What is language? What is the human mind? How do we think?, are of key importance to resolving primary IT problems. The birth of a new discipline, cognitive science, which deals with the structure of the mind, thinking and consciousness became a challenge for the philosophical tradition like cartesianism, and at the same time became a pivotal factor of IT and communication techniques development. Devlin settles with tradition, which in his opinion is mainly defined by Descartes himself, however not only by his philosophy but also his methodology. Of course Descartes may be regarded as the symbol of the rationalist heritage albeit it seems that having a major impact on contemporary philosophy, it is not Descartes who should become the main character of the never ending goodbye, but Leibniz. The text is not an attempt at a polemic with Devlin’s opinions, but rather a supplementation of his standpoint. The problems of Leibnizian theory of the mind which were built on the language fundaments shall be elaborated on, as they can visualize Leibniz as the real pioneer of modern cognitive science.prof. dr hab. Halina Święczkowska, Uniwersytet w Białymstoku, Zakład Semiotyki LogicznejUniwersytet w Białymstoku, Zakład Semiotyki LogicznejCassirer E., An Essay on Man, Yale University Press, New Haven 1962.Copleston F., Historia filozofii, tłum. J. Marzęcki, Instytut Wydawniczy PAX, Warszawa 1995.Davies P., Plan Stwórcy, tłum. Marek Krośniak, Wydawnictwo ZNAK, Kraków 1996.Devlin K., Żegnaj Kartezjuszu. Rozstanie z logiką w poszukiwaniu nowej kosmologii umysłu, tłum. B. Stanosz, Prószyński i S-ka, Warszawa 1999.Drozdek A., Leibniz: Struggles with Infinity, w: On Leibniz Legacy in the 350 Anniversary of His Birth, series: „Studies in Logic, Grammar and Rhetoric”, Białystok 1997.The English Works of Thomas Hobbes, red. W. Moleswortha, J. Bohn, London 1839–1845, t. III.Gordon M., Leibniz, Wiedza Powszechna, Warszawa 1973.Leibniz G.W., Die philosophischen Schriften von G. W. Leibniz, vol. VII, pod red. C. I. Gerhardta, Halle 1849–1863 repr. Hildesheim 1960.Leibniz G.W., Nowe rozważania dotyczące rozumu ludzkiego, tłum. Izydora Dąmbska, PWN, Warszawa 1955.Leibniz G.W., Philosophical Papers and Letters, pod red. L. E. Loemkera, Dordrecht: D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht 1965.Leibniz G.W., Sämtliche Schriften und Briefe, herausgegeben von der Preussischen (ject Deutschen) Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 6 Reihen, Darmstadt 1923, Leipzig 1983, Berlin 1950.Leibniz G.W., Wyznanie wiary filozofa, Rozprawa metafizyczna, Monadologia, Zasady natury i łaski oraz inne pisma filozoficzne, tłum. S. Cichowicz, J. Domański, H. Rzeczkowski, H. Moese, opracował i wstępem poprzedził S. Cichowicz, PWN, Warszawa 1969.Marciszewski W.,Why Leibniz should not have believed in „filum cogitationis”, w: Leibniz und Europa, VI Internationaler Leibniz-Kongreß Vortrage, Hannover 1994.Marciszewski W., Leibniz’s Idea of Automated Reasoning Compared with Modern Al, w: On Leibniz Legacy in the 350 Anniversary of His Birth, series: „Studies in Logic, Grammar and Rhetoric”, Białystok 1997.Platon, Listy, tłum. M. Maykowska, PWN, Warszawa 1987.Russell B., Dzieje filozofii Zachodu, tłum T. Baszniak, A. Lipszyc, M. Szczubiałka, Warszawa, Aletheia 2000.Schacter D.L., Implcit Memory, „Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition”, vol. 13, July 1983, Nb. 3.Zauderer-Naaman N., The Challenge Posed by the Problem of Error for Leibniz’s Metaphysic, w: Leibniz und Europa, VI Internationaler Leibniz-Kongreß Vortrage, I Teil, Hannover 1994.127-14227/t.t.12714