PREFACE

Abstract

This special edition celebrates the legacy and impact of the universal genius Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716). Leibniz was a polymath who made significant contributions to many fields of learning, among them mathematics, law, the study of history and languages, and of course every area of philosophy and the natural sciences. But which of his innovations had the greatest impact in the years that followed? And how have his ideas shaped these disciplines today? In the three hundred years since his death, scholarly attention has by and large focused on specific parts of his philosophical thought, in particular his metaphysics and epistemology, to the detriment of all else. The neglect Leibniz’s contributions outside of these narrow fields is unfortunate, as it leads to a poor understanding of someone who was perhaps the last true universal genius and who offered far more to his age (and ours) than just a handful of philosophical doctrines. The aim of this special edition was not to produce an apology of Leibniz, but to contribute to a more well-rounded understanding of this universal genius, his thought, and the circumstances in which it was produced. Accordingly, the accepted papers will involve locating Leibniz and his various endeavours in their proper context, which will require an understanding of the social, political, theological, and scientific situations of his time.

Editor

Zoran Dimić