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Leibniz

Original nameGottfried Leibniz

German Philosopher and Mathematician, Proposer of the Monadology and the "Best of All Possible Worlds"

Those Who Reanswered "How Should We Live" · Modern & Contemporary Thinkers

The MonadologyThe Principle of Sufficient ReasonCalculus

Who they are

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) was a German philosopher and mathematician who invented calculus independently at almost the same time as Newton, and the two and their camps then waged a fierce dispute over priority for decades (the calculus notation in general use in modern mathematics derives from Leibniz’s notation, not Newton’s). In metaphysics he proposed the "monadology": the universe is composed of countless indivisible spiritual substances, "monads," with no direct causal window upon one another, each of which completely mirrors the whole universe from its own unique perspective, the seemingly harmonious interaction among monads springing in truth from a "pre-established harmony" set in advance by God. He also proposed the optimistic stance that "this is the best of all possible worlds," holding that even though evil and suffering exist in the world, it is the overall best world that an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-good God chose to create after weighing all possible worlds — a stance later sharply satirized by Voltaire in the novel Candide.

Primary sourcesLeibniz, The Monadology, Theodicy

Key stories

The Dispute Over the Invention of Calculus

Leibniz and Newton each developed the core methods of calculus independently at almost the same time, but a fierce dispute over "who invented it first" erupted and ran for decades, drawing in both camps and even the academic worlds of their respective nations — one of the most famous scholarly disputes in the history of science; the calculus notation such as "dy/dx" in general use in modern mathematics textbooks derives precisely from Leibniz’s notation, not Newton’s.

The "Best of All Possible Worlds" and Its Satire

Leibniz held that before creation God rationally weighed and compared all logically possible worlds and at last chose to create this one, "best" on the whole — even though it contains such concrete evils as earthquakes, plagues, and wars. Voltaire, greatly displeased with this optimistic stance, created in the novel Candide the figure of Doctor Pangloss, blindly repeating that "all is for the best," and through a string of absurd disasters sharply satirized and deconstructed this philosophical stance.

Relationships

Nemesis

📄Locke　Leibniz represented the continental rationalist camp, set squarely against Locke’s empiricist stance

Echoes today

Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.

The calculus notationThe calculus notation such as "dy/dx" in general use in modern mathematics textbooks derives precisely from Leibniz’s notation, not Newton’s.

Appears in

The Beginning of Modern Philosophy: Reason vs. ExperienceLeibniz’s "Monadology," Pascal’s Wager of Faith The Enlightenment and German Classical PhilosophyVoltaire Satirizes Optimism, Rousseau Reconstructs the Social Contract

⏳ Who lived at the same time as Leibniz? →📐 Rationalism →🔗 Who taught whom →

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