Petite Perceptions

Of Leibniz' many innovations, one that does not necessarily promote Rationalism is his recognition of what is sometimes called 'petite perceptions'--subliminal elements of experience, precursors of the 'subconscious'  By venturing into hidden dimensions of awareness, he contributes to the undermining of traditional Psychological Atomism, just as the invention of the microscope reveals the existence of a potentially infinitely divisible microcosmic realm.  The 'soul' is, thus, no longer a simple given, but, as Hume and Kant assert, may be a molecular 'bundle' or 'synthesis', respectively.  Or, it may even be only a fragile fiction, often unequal to its underlying unstable infinite manifold, as Nietzsche and Freud propose.