Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

Author Code: GGWL

Initially studying law, Leibniz developed an interest in mathematics and metaphysics and took a position in the employ of the prince elector of Mainz. He visited many European cities and made numerous contacts within the scientific and philosophical communities. He discovered the infinitesimal calculus at roughly the same time as Newton. He helped found the German Academy of Sciences in Berlin. He was also instrumental in laying the foundations of the dynamic theory of motion. His philosophical system is detailed in his two works Theodicee (1710) and Monadologie (1714), both written in French. He is also the author of numerous scientific and mathematical treatises.