Journal of the History of Philosophy

Leibniz holds that all substances possess “spontaneity,” that is, that all states of a given substance originate within it. Several commentators distinguish two kinds of spontaneity. My paper sharpens and expands this distinction by arguing that we need to distinguish not just two, but three types of spontaneity. This in turn sheds light on Leibniz’s otherwise puzzling views on teleology. I show that there is an intimate connection between spontaneity and teleology and that a type of teleology corresponds to each type of spontaneity. Making these distinctions can help us understand, among other things, how Leibniz can account for significant differences between different types of actions while maintaining that all monadic activity is teleological and spontaneous.