Leibniz was a polymath who worked as a diplomat, librarian, and courtier in Hanover. He invented calculus independently of Newton (sparking the most bitter priority dispute in the history of science), designed a mechanical calculator, and dreamed of a universal logical language that would settle all disputes by computation. His Monadology proposes that reality consists of simple, mind-like substances called monads, each reflecting the entire universe from its own perspective. God, the supreme monad, chose to create this world because it is the best of all possible worlds. Voltaire mocked this idea. Leibniz died in 1716, largely forgotten.
Born to a professor of moral philosophy at the University of Leipzig. His father died when he was six, leaving behind a large library. The boy taught himself Latin by age twelve, working through the books on his own.
Words
“This is the best of all possible worlds.”
