Philosophy Book
Chapter Eighteen: Gottfried Leibniz
Brief Biography of Gottfried Leibniz: Summary of Ideas, Portrait & Quotes
This webpage contains a brief overview of the recently published
book 'Philosophical Sketches'. Below you will find a short Chapter summary
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and introduction. You can buy this book online at our Cafepress Philosophy
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Geoff Haselhurst & Karene Jade Howie
Chapter
Eighteen: Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz lived from 1646 to 1716 (thirteen
years after the birth of Spinoza and four years before the death of Descartes).
He studied geometry under the guidance of Christiaan Huygens and in 1676 Leibniz
completed his discovery of Differential Calculus (independently of Sir Isaac
Newton). Prior to this discovery of Calculus, Gottfried Leibniz wrote extensively
on a number of subjects such as logic, truth, reason, philosophy and metaphysics
which culminated in his Monadology. ...
His philosophical contribution to metaphysics is based on the Monadology, which
introduces Monads as "substantial forms of being", which are akin
to spiritual atoms, eternal, indecomposable, individual, following their own
laws, not interacting but each reflecting the whole universe in pre-established
harmony. According to him the monads are centres of force, and substance is
force, while space, matter, and motion are merely phenomenal; finally, the
existence of God is inferred from the existing harmony among the monads. ....
(see book for more)
I hold that the mark of a genuine idea is that its possibility
can be proved, either a priori by conceiving its cause or reason, or a posteriori
when experience teaches us that it is in fact in nature. ... It is a good thing
to proceed in order and to establish propositions. This is the way to gain
ground and to progress with certainty.
Reality cannot be found except in One single
source, because of the interconnection of all things with one another. …I do not conceive of any reality at
all as without genuine unity. …I maintain also that substances, whether
material or immaterial, cannot be conceived in their bare essence without any
activity, activity being of the essence of substance in general.
I agree with
you that it is important to examine our presuppositions, thoroughly and once
for all, in order to establish something solid. For I hold that it
is only when we can prove all that we bring forward that we perfectly understand
the thing under consideration. I know that the common herd takes little pleasure
in these researches, but I know also that the common herd take little pains
thoroughly to understand things. ... a distinction must be made between
true and false ideas, and that too much rein must not be given to a man's imagination
under pretext of its being
a clear and distinct intellection.
But it is the knowledge of necessary and
eternal truths which distinguishes us from mere animals, and gives us reason
and the sciences, raising us to knowledge
of ourselves and God. It is this in us which we call the rational soul or
mind. (Gottfried Leibniz, Philosophical Writings, 1670)
A lively and concise journey through the central
ideas of thirty famous philosophers. From ancient Indian, Greek and Chinese
Philosophy to modern Western Philosophy, this book explores the changing foundations
of human knowledge and their effect on how we think and live.
Includes full page portraits, brief biographies and selected quotes from some
of the greatest minds of human history on the universal subjects of Truth,
Reality, Nature, Cosmos, Wisdom, Morality, Mind, Education, Politics, Art,
Religion & God.
Written for the lay person, while remaining true to the original ideas, this
is an engaging account of the Metaphysical foundations of Philosophy that is
both illuminating and thought provoking. (Cover Photograph: Plato & Aristotle
- The School of Athens by Raphael)
Philosophy Book
Philosophical Sketches: Chapter Headings & Content Summary
Publisher / Online Bookstore Details
Space
and Motion Publications
Online print on demand publishers of books on;
Philosophy, Physics, Metaphysics, Truth, Reality, Evolution, Ecology, Nature,
Education, Politics, Fine Art, Erotic Art, Nature, Cosmos, Wisdom, Morality,
Mind, Religion & God.
http://www.spaceandmotion.com/books/online-book-publishing.htm
Related Pages: Gottfried Leibniz
We also have a nice philosophy web page on Gottfried Leibniz;
http://www.spaceandmotion.com/Philosophy-Gottfried-Leibniz-Philosopher.htm
RSS
"When
forced to summarize the general theory of relativity in one sentence: Time
and space and gravitation have no separate existence from matter. ... Physical
objects are not in space, but these objects are spatially extended.
In this way the concept 'empty space' loses its meaning. ... The particle
can only appear as a limited region in space in which the field strength or
the energy density are particularly high. ...
