Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

Leibniz was born in Leipzig in 1646 and educated in philosophy and law; he spent his career as a court counsellor and diplomat at Hanover and elsewhere, and traveled widely. He was one of the last thinkers to work confidently across every field.

He invented a calculating machine that could multiply and divide, devised a binary arithmetic he believed had deep significance, and published his version of the calculus before Newton did, setting off a bitter dispute over priority. In philosophy he argued that the world is made of simple substances called monads, that mind and body run in a pre-established harmony, and that this is the best of all possible worlds.

He founded the Berlin Academy and wrote on history, law, theology, and logic. He died in Hanover in 1716, out of favour with his employer, and his philosophical works were published only after his death.

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