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Top 10 Outstanding Facts About Gottfried W. Leibniz

What is Gottfried Leibniz Best Known For?

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a German philosopher, mathematician, and logician who is most remembered for having invented the differential and integral calculus (independently of Sir Isaac Newton).

Leibniz was born on July 1, 1646 to parents Friedrich Leibniz and Catharina Schmuck. Interestingly his father Friedrich was a notary, a lawyer, and a professor of moral philosophy at Leipzig University who died when he was only six years old. He attended Nicolai School as a child, but his interest in philosophy largely came from his father鈥檚 library.

1. He Applied For A Doctoral Degree in Law At An Early Age

Photo of the University of Leipzig. Unknown author.

Leibniz was a childhood prodigy. He became fluent in Latin and studied the works of Greeks scholars when he was only twelve. He entered the University of Leipzig when he was fourteen, where he took philosophy, mathematics, and law.

After graduation, he applied for a doctorate in law but was refused due to his young age. He chose to present his thesis to the University of Altdorf, where professors were so impressed that they immediately awarded him the degree of Doctor of Laws and gave him a professorship.

2. He Is Said To Have Developed Calculus Independently of Isaac Newton

Modern Calculator.Photo by Ben Wicks on

Leibniz was a member of London鈥檚 Royal Society alongside Isaac Newton during the 1670s. It was there that he began working on the theory of differential calculus and integral calculus, which is defined as the mathematical study of continuous change. Coincidentally, he developed his theories independently of Newton and was unaware that the latter was striving towards making similar discoveries.

 Leibniz published his first work on calculus in 1684, and Newton published it in 1693. However, the confusion over who was the first to make strides in the development of calculus, and the rival claims made by both men, caused the Royal Society to investigate their findings. Leibniz was given the first publication rights while Newton took credit for the discovery.

3. He was One of the Pioneers In The Practice of Philosophical Optimism

In addition to his work in the field of mathematics, Leibniz was one of the first to put forth the concept of philosophical optimism defining it as: 鈥淒istinct from a disposition to believe that things will work out, [it is the] philosophical idea that, perhaps in ways that may not be fully comprehended, the present moment is in an optimum state.鈥�

He says that God鈥檚 knowledge and power are to the highest degree, and due to his omnipotence, God could think 鈥渂eyond the power of a finite mind鈥� and choose 鈥渢he best of all possible worlds鈥� for his creation. The latter phrase has since become a popular one among philosophers and is frequently cited as Leibniz鈥檚 most famous.

4. He Revolutionized the Catalogue System for Modern Libraries

Picture of a Library. Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on

At some point in his career, he moved to 麻豆APP to work as a librarian in the Hanoverian court of Johann Friedrich, who was the Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg. It was here that Leibniz revolutionized the way that modern libraries organize and maintain their catalog.

According to The Journal of Library History (1966-1972), he created an alphabetical author catalog and other cataloging methods that were not previously implemented in Europe, including an early form of indexing. He reportedly called upon publishers to put a registry of their titles, so that his library and the Bodleian Library at Oxford University could stay up to date with their catalogs. The latter request never came to fruition, but it later served as the basis for all English language publishers during the 20th Century.

5. One of the World鈥檚 Largest Prizes for Scientific Achievements is Named After Him

By the time Leibniz died in Hanover in 1716, his achievements were all but forgotten. Fortunately, Leibniz鈥檚 reputation has largely been restored. In 1985, the German government created the Leibniz Prize, which offers an annual award of 1.55 million euros for experimental results and 770,000 euros for theoretical ones.

It was the world鈥檚 largest prize for scientific achievement before the Fundamental Physics Prize, and is given 鈥渢o exceptional scientists and academics for their outstanding achievements in the field of research.鈥�

6. He Was Given Access to His Father鈥檚 Library At The Tender Age of Six

Leibniz was given access to his deceased father鈥檚 library at the tender age of six because he had shown a strong desire for philosophical learning. He had attempted to read Livy鈥檚 History of Rome, despite his limited understanding of Latin.

7. He Invented The First Calculator

Desk Calculator. Photo by Ben Wicks on

Leibniz is also credited for the discovery 0f the binary number system and inventing the first calculating machine that could add, subtract, multiply and divide. When it came to metaphysics, he formulated the famous theory of monads which explained the relation between the soul and the body.

 Leibniz is often known as the founder of symbolic logic as he developed the universal characteristic, a symbolic language in which any item of information can be represented in a natural system.

8. Played A Major Role in the Establishment of National Scientific Societies

Leibniz emphasized that research was a collaborative endeavor. Hence he warmly advocated the formation of national scientific societies along the lines of the British Royal Society and the French Acad茅mie Royale des Sciences.

More specifically, in his correspondence and travels, he urged the creation of such societies in Dresden, Saint Petersburg, Vienna, and Berlin.

 Only one such project came to fruition; in 1700, the Berlin Academy of Sciences was created. Leibniz drew up its first statutes and served as its first President for the remainder of his life. That Academy evolved into the German Academy of Sciences, the publisher of the ongoing critical edition of his works.

9. He Worked As a Privy Counselor of Justice

In 1677, he was promoted, at his request, to Privy Counselor of Justice, a post he held for the rest of his life. He served three consecutive rulers of the House of Brunswick as a historian, political adviser, and most consequentially, as librarian of the ducal library.

He therefore employed his pen on all the various political, historical, and theological matters involving the House of Brunswick; the resulting documents form a valuable part of the historical record for the period.

10. He Wrote His First Book At the Age of 19

 In early 1666, at age 19, Leibniz wrote his first book, De Arte Combinatoria (On the Combinatorial Art), the first part of which was also his habilitation thesis in Philosophy, which he defended in March 1666. De Arte Combinatoria was inspired by Ramon Llull’s Ars Magna and contained proof of the existence of God, cast in geometrical form, and based on the argument from motion.