Abstract

The notion of expression originates in the Leibnizian mathematical works of the Parisian period (1672–76), but it plays a crucial role in metaphysics until 1714. The issue is then to decide whether the mathematical origin of the notion of expression implies that the understanding of the nature of metaphysical expression is totally revealed by one or some mathematical models. My aim is to show that expression is an irreducible notion which cannot be comprehended without the contribution of Leibnizian mathematics, although it exceeds them as the core of the metaphysical specificity of monadology.

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