ABSTRACT
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz held that necessary truths depend on definition, in that “definitions joined with identical axioms express principles of all demonstration. Aside from the success or unsuccess of Leibniz’ opposition to conventionalism, his views about definition suggest some problems or questions when considered in relation to his doctrine of necessary truth. Leibniz believes that the fact that an apprehension of possibility is required before a definition is admitted to a demonstration constitutes a complete refutation of conventionalism, and many commentators seem to agree with him. Leibniz sometimes supports his contention that the division of reality into sorts of species is not arbitrary with the observation that there are real resemblances in things. Leibniz sometimes supports his contention that the division of reality into sorts of species is not arbitrary with the observation that there are real resemblances in things.
