66 INTRODUCTION 



still requires that a cause or reason be assigned for the 

 existence of the actual universe rather than any other 

 among those which are possible. The existence of the 

 actual universe is its creation by God, that is to say, its 

 being not merely in the region of ideas, or essences, or 

 possibilities, which is the pure understanding of God. 

 but also in the sphere of final causes, in which the will 

 of God operates \ In other words, the actual universe 

 is the result of a free choice of God amongst all possible 

 universes. While the choice of God is free, being un- 

 limited in its application, it _js_no_t__an arbitrary choice, 

 but_a_choiiifi.-according to. reason. God chooses as the 

 Victual universe that whose compossible elements admit 

 pf the greatest amount of perfection or reality, that is to 

 pay, the fullest and most complete essence. Thus the 



(actual universe is ' the best of all possible worlds ' of 

 all worlds which are really worlds or systems, that is, 

 in Leibniz's language, of all worlds whose elements are 

 compossible. God makes this choice because, being 

 omnipotent, His choice is unlimited, He may create any 

 possible world ; being omniscient, He contains all possible 



1 worlds in His understanding and perceives that which is 

 best ; and, being perfect in goodness of will, He chooses 

 the best. Thus the Divine Nature is ultimately the 

 sufficient reason of all particular things, since it is the 

 ground both of the essence and of the existence of the 

 actual universe 2 , which, in its turn, as a system of corn- 

 possibles, is the immediate ground of its individual ele- 

 ments. 



Accordingly, the principle of contradiction and the 

 principle of sufficient reason remain side by side in the 



1 According to Leibniz, existence (or the creation which produces 

 existence) involves no change in the essence of a thing. Its essence 

 is the same, whether it be in the actual world or merely in the 

 region of the Divine ideas. Cf. Monaddogy, 43 and 47, notes. 



a Cf. Theodicee, 7 (E. 506 a ; G-. vi. 107) : ' His understanding is 

 the source of essences, and His will is the origin of existences.' 

 Also Monadology, 53-55, and Theodicee, 201 (E. 565 b ; &. vi. 236). 



