Overview
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) was a German polymath—philosopher, mathematician, jurist, and diplomat—who developed calculus independently of Newton and a metaphysical system of monads. Serving courts at Mainz and Hanover, he corresponded across Europe’s republic of letters. Essays on theodicy, logic, and China show encyclopedic range. Handbook dates: 1646–1716. He sought reconciliations: faith and reason, Catholic and Protestant, East and West.
Main ideas
Reality consists of windowless monads—simple substances whose perceptions unfold in pre-established harmony. This is the best of possible worlds, chosen by a wise God—his theodicy of optimism. Truths of reason versus truths of fact structure modality and contingency. Sufficient reason and identity of indiscernibles guide metaphysics. Infinitesimal calculus and binary arithmetic display his mathematical originality. Chinese rites controversy and universal character projects show his comparative and formal ambitions.
Major works
- Monadology
- Discourse on Metaphysics
- Theodicy
- New Essays on Human Understanding
Legacy
Leibniz shaped modern logic, metaphysics, and the calculus priority dispute’s aftermath. Optimism became a European debating point from Voltaire onward. Computer science and formal semantics still salute his combinatorial dreams.