Leibniz: An Introduction

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz who worked and lived three centuries ago, was a renowned polymath and one of the first modern philosophers. Although not all of his contributions would find favour today, there is no doubt that they were highly original and path-breaking for the time. Had he published more of his work symbolic logic and binary arithmetic which is fundamental to the operation of today’s computer systems would have come to light one and a half centuries earlier than they did. Leibniz’s contemporary reputation was built largely on his independent discovery of calculus in the 1670s. As a metaphysician he was the author of a complex system of thought which was informed by a number of fundamental principles that would reveal the universe’s rational order and the wisdom of its creator. He proposed the Monad as an elemental unit of existence, invented a theory of possible worlds, and constructed a philosophical theology that explained the origin of the universe and the presence of evil. Leibniz also took part in an important debate over the nature of space and time with Newton’s confidant, Samuel Clarke, and he argued against Descartes’ mechanical notion of body, and Locke’s conceptions of the mind as a tabula rasa. Eclectic rather than clinging to fixed ideas, and seeking reconciliation rather than the entrenchment of divisions, Leibniz was a truly global thinker and communicator who saw natural philosophy as a practical tool for enhancing human happiness and well-being. Leibniz’s wide-ranging intellectual projects were all aimed at human betterment and throughout his life he would advocate for scientific societies, propose public health reforms, and work to reconcile religious divisions in Europe.