Gottfried Leibniz was a 17th century philosopher and mathematician from Germany. He is responsible for discovering the basics of calculus. His philosophy contains elements of rationalism, idealism and theism.Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Gottfried Leibniz
Contributions to Math
- Differential equationsWolfram Science World: Biography Gottfried Leibniz (2007)
- Method of Separation of variablesWolfram Science World: Biography Gottfried Leibniz (2007)
- Reduction of homogeneous equations to separable onesWolfram Science World: Biography Gottfried Leibniz (2007)
- Developed procedure for solving first order linear equationsWolfram Science World: Biography Gottfried Leibniz (2007)
- Multinomial theoremWolfram Science World: Biography Gottfried Leibniz (2007)
Philosophy
- The universe consists of God and "monads," or substances that are indivisibleInternet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Gottfried Leibnizsmall (2006)
- Nothing occurs without reasonStanford Metaphysics lab: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (2004)
- God established harmony, which leads to the perception that events cause one anotherInternet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Gottfried Leibnizsmall (2006)
- Free will exists, there are no universal laws that direct human actionsInternet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Gottfried Leibnizsmall (2006)
- Ignorance of the future is necessary to live freelyInternet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Gottfried Leibnizsmall (2006)
- Space and time are illusionsInternet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Gottfried Leibnizsmall (2006)
Gottfried Leibniz Timeline
1646: Born
1661: Enrolled in University of Leipzig
1667: Advisor for Baron of Boineburg
1672: Lived in Paris (met Malebranche, Arnauld, Huygens)
1675: Developed foundation of calculus
1676: Advisor for Duke of Hannover
1676: Published work on calculus
1685: Historian for the House of Brunswick
1691: Librarian at Wolfenbuettel
1700: Became member of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris
1716: Died
Works of Gottfried Leibniz
1666: On the Art of Combination
1671: New Physical Hypothesis
1676: New Method for the Greatest and the Least
1686: Discourse on Metaphysics:
1695: The New System of Nature
1705: New Essays on Human Understanding
1710: Theodicy
1714: The Monadology
