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Leibniz on Final Causes
- Journal of the History of Philosophy
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 44, Number 2, April 2006
- pp. 217-233
- 10.1353/hph.2006.0022
- Article
- Additional Information
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In this paper, I investigate Leibniz's conception of final causation. I focus especially on the role that Leibnizian final causes play in intentional action, and I argue that for Leibniz, final causes are a species of efficient causation. It is the intentional nature of final causation that distinguishes it from mechanical efficient causation. I conclude by highlighting some of the implications of Leibniz's conception of final causation for his views on human freedom, and on the unconscious activity of substances.