Leibniz’s Metaphysics of Elasticity: From the System to the Individual

abstract: This paper explores the metaphysical significance of Leibniz ’s conception of elasticity and its development during the 1680s. The first part is devoted to the discussion of elasticity as a system property in the Hypothesis physica nova of 1671. A second section shows the transition, in the second half of the 1670s, from such a conception to an understanding of elasticity as a condition for the spontaneity and individuality of bodies. Finally, through an examination of writings from the 1680s about the transmission of sound and the elastic properties of materials, I will reconstruct the underlying metaphysical framework characterizing Leibniz ’s conception of elastic matter, namely the idea of a “mechanical mirroring ” which is proper to individual bodies.