A philosophical term for the natural striving or desire that all things possess, especially in Leibniz's philosophy.
From Latin appetitus (desire) + -ion (noun suffix). Developed by philosopher Leibniz in the 1600s to describe the fundamental force driving all motion and change in the universe.
Leibniz believed appetition—this deep desire for change and improvement—is the most basic force in the universe, even deeper than physics; modern philosophers still debate whether consciousness itself might just be sophisticated appetition.
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