G.W. Leibniz’s Metaphysics in the Philosophy of Gilles Deleuze: From Ontology to Ethics

This study is a detailed analysis of the influence of the philosophy of G.W. Leibniz on the metaphysics and ethics of Gilles Deleuze, with a focus on the transformation of Leibniz’s key concepts within Deleuze’s philosophical system. Particular attention is paid to the evolution of Deleuze’s perception of Leibniz’s philosophy: from the critical perception presented in early works such as “Difference and Repetition” and “Expressionism in Philosophy: Spinoza”, where Leibniz is interpreted as a philosopher of transcendental representation, to the integration of Leibniz’s key concepts into Deleuze’s own philosophical system, which is particularly evident in “The Fold. Leibniz and the Baroque”. The study focuses on Deleuze’s revision of the principles of identity and non-contradiction - which he reinterprets in the context of his ontology of events, series and singularities. The focus is on how Deleuze replaces Leibniz’s theological perspective with an immanent system in which the harmony of the world is based on a mathematically optimal distribution of singularities. Deleuze’s ethical project is examined through the lens of the concept of puissance (force, power, potency), which combines the ideas of Nietzsche, Spinoza and Leibniz. The study emphasises the significance of interrelated categories such as the will to power, the capacity for action and potency, which become the basis of Deleuze’s ethical system. Chaos and difference are seen not as destructive forces, but as grounds for the formation of a dynamic harmony that unites disparate elements into a coherent system. The study is characterized by a unique approach that combines Deleuze’s metaphysics and ethics, as well as an original interpretation of his interaction with Leibniz’s philosophy. The author argues that Deleuze forms a unique view of the world as a process where chaos and difference act as the foundations for dynamic harmony. This approach allows Deleuze to combine elements of Leibniz’s and Nietzsche’s theories, presenting our world as the best possible world because of its ability to maintain maximum variety while preserving wholeness.