Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a German polymath who is widely regarded as one of the greatest philosophers and mathematicians of all time. He was born in Leipzig in 1646 to a professor of moral philosophy and a daughter of a law professor. He was a prodigy who learned Latin, Greek, and Hebrew by the age of 12 and mastered many fields of knowledge by reading books from his father's library. He entered the University of Leipzig at 15 and obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy by 1664. He also studied law, medicine, theology, and natural sciences at various universities and became a doctor of law in 1666. Leibniz was a prolific writer who produced thousands of pages of manuscripts on various topics, ranging from logic and metaphysics to physics and geology. He is best known for his discovery of the differential and integral calculus, independently of Isaac Newton, and for his invention of the binary system, which is the basis of modern computing. He also developed a universal system of symbols and rules for reasoning, called the calculus ratiocinator, which anticipated modern symbolic logic. He also proposed a theory of monads, which are indivisible units of force that constitute the ultimate elements of reality and reflect the whole universe in their perceptions. Leibniz was also a visionary thinker who sought to reconcile rationalism and empiricism, faith and reason, science and religion, and human freedom and divine providence. He developed an optimistic philosophy that affirmed the goodness and harmony of God's creation and argued that this is the best of all possible worlds. He also advocated for religious tolerance, ecumenism, universal education, scientific progress, and international peace. He corresponded with many eminent scholars, scientists, theologians, and political leaders of his time, such as Descartes, Spinoza, Huygens, Newton, Locke, Malebranche, Bayle, Arnauld, Clarke, Bossuet, Leibniz's Legacy Leibniz died in Hanover in 1716 at the age of 70. He was buried in the Neustädter Hof- und Stadtkirche St. Johannis without much ceremony or recognition. His vast collection of papers was left scattered and unpublished until the 19th century. His reputation suffered from the priority dispute with Newton over calculus and from the criticism of Voltaire, who mocked his optimism in Candide. However, his genius was gradually rediscovered and appreciated by later generations of philosophers and mathematicians who recognized his originality and depth. He influenced many thinkers such as Kant, Hegel, Russell, Whitehead, Gödel, Wiener, Quine, Deleuze, Eco, Rescher, and others. He is now considered one of the founding fathers of modern philosophy and one of the greatest universal geniuses in history.