Leibniz

$Mathematicians$

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was ``a most versatile genius. He wrote on mathematics, natural science, history, politics, jurisprudence, economics, philosophy, theology and philology.'' [Smith, 619]. He was born at 6.45 pm on July 1st, 1646 in Leipzig. His hometown was a Protestant city and well-known as one of the centers of learning and science in Germany since the Renaissance. His father, Friedrich, was Vice Chairman of the faculty of philosophy and Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Leipzig. Since he was a baby, his father saw a number of signs that inspired him of his son's bright future. For instance, when he was two years old, he tried to climb on a table but fell to the floor. His father was surprised to see that his son was uninjured, and immediately sent message to the church in order to observe the custom of a thanksgiving prayer after the service [Aiton, 9].

When he was a child, he preferred reading history, poetry and literature [Aiton, 10]. By the age of twelve, he understood Latin fluently and began to learn Greek. In the astonishment of his teacher and classmates, not only he applied Aristotelian logic to practical problems but also pointed out the weakness of Aristotelian logic [Aiton, 12]. In 1664, he obtained a Master of Philosophy degree [Aiton, 16]. In 1666, when he was just twenty one years old, he received a doctor's degree in law [Aiton, 22]. At the same time, he rejected the professorship offer because he believed that the unversity life could not facilitate the reform and improvements of science.

He offered his service for noblemen, statesmen and members of royal families because he believed that they had the power to reform the country. However, it was his destiny not to be able to roam freely but to be a tool for his masters [Hofmann, 1]. During his service to the Elector of Mainz, as part of his duties, he travelled extensively through England, France, German, Italy, Poland and other countries. During these trips, he met or got acquaintance with many prominents scholars of his time, such as Huygens, Boole, Spinoza and Newton, who greatly enriched his knowledge. Finally, he settled in Hannover to take up offices of Counsellor and Librarian. He was made a Baron of the Empire in 1709. He became a member of Royal Society of London in 1673 and the Akademie des Sciences in 1700. He founded the Akademie der Wissenschaften in 1700 and become its president for life [Smith, 619].

Leibniz died peacefully at 10 pm on Saturday November 14th, 1716 [Aiton, 349].