ESTIMATE OF LEIBNIZ S PHILOSOPHY 197 



one another. But, unlike Leibniz, he regards the principle 

 of contradiction as, indeed, universally applicable but 

 completely subordinate in importance. According to 

 Leibniz, mechanism in the real world is subordinate to 

 teleology, efficient to final causes. But at least the co- 

 ordinate priority of the principle of contradiction is secured 

 by the conception of the ' possible ' things or * essences,' 

 the realm of ideas, in the understanding of God. Lotze, 

 on the other hand, does away with this realm of ' possi- 

 bles,' making the 'principle of the best' absolutely 

 supreme, allowing the choice of God to be independent 

 even of the principle of contradiction, independent of all 

 save the ideal of absolute ethical worth. A violation of 

 the law of contradiction is an absurdity for us ; but God 

 might conceivably (if it had been the most perfect means 

 to the realizing of the best) have made a world in which 

 the law of contradiction did not hold. But as Leibniz 

 gave no clear explanation of the relations between the 

 two principles of contradiction and sufficient reason, so 

 Lotze does not explain the subordination of the one to 

 the other, but maintains that any such explanation is 

 beyond the reach of human thought. 



From early years Lotze was familiar with the works of 

 Leibniz, and his writings continually suggest Leibnitian 

 ways of looking at things. But, though an inheritor of 

 Leibniz's ideas, he could not ' take over ' the philosophy 

 as a whole. ' I have, indeed, in general never had the 

 presumption to declare myself the successor of Leibniz, 

 in the sense of being his heir . . . but I must have the 

 presumption to admit that I could only have entered into 

 possession of this inheritance cum beneficio inventarii 1 .' 



Other Influences of Leibniz. 



It would be impossible briefly to indicate the full 

 influence of the philosophy of Leibniz in other directions. 



1 Kleine Schriften, vol. iii. p. 342. 



