Política, poder y guerra en Leibniz

Abstract

Leibniz’s theoretical proposal on politics is not considered attractive by many. This is not so much because his ideas are con­sidered lacking in originality but because of his defense of the existing political power of his time, the monarchy. Nevertheless this apprecia­tion of Leibniz’s political thought may miss his contributions to social thought, like his idea of “being in the shoes of the other” (1992, III, 27), an approach we might consider perspectival. Also noteworthy is his notion of sovereignty. Furthermore Leibniz’s thought presents other progressive and attractive elements still useful today, like his notion of good government and the ethical control of power. It is also interesting to note that Leibniz’s political action was influential in his time. This fact makes Leibniz not only a theoretical philo­ sopher but a philosopher that applied theory to practice. In this respect he was concerned with the well-being of the community and therefore he cannot be considered a conservative thinker.