Definition for Leibniz, Gottfried
From Biology Forums Dictionary
Leibniz, Gottfried (1646 to 1716): Philosopher and mathematician, born in Germany. In 1700 he persuaded Frederick I of Prussia to found the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin, of which he became the first president. A man of remarkable breadth of knowledge, he made original contributions to optics, mechanics, statistics, logic, and probability theory. He wrote on history, law, and political theory, and his philosophy was the foundation of Rationalism. He was involved in a controversy with Isaac Newton over whether he or Newton was the inventor of integral and differential calculus; the Royal Society formally declared for Newton in 1711, but the matter was never really resolved. His “Monadology” is rightfully considered a masterpiece of Metaphysics.
