Leibniz was a German philosopher, mathematician, and logician whose ideas were rich and innovative, and had a profound impact on Western philosophy, political science, logic, mathematics, and other fields. The following is an introduction to the main ideas of Leibniz.
1. Monadism.
Leibniz's monadism was at the heart of his philosophical thought. He believed that the world is made up of an infinite number of monads, each of which is an independent, indivisible, and non-expansive spiritual entity. These monads are independent of each other, but they influence and interact with each other according to a certain order. Each monad has a different degree of consciousness, and the highest monad is God, who created the entire universe and all monads.
Second, the pre-determined harmony.
Leibniz's idea of predetermined harmony is an extension of his monadism. He believed that every monad in the world was in harmony with each other because God had pre-arranged all the monads so that they could cooperate and complement each other. This idea of predetermined harmony is also reflected in Leibniz's study of logic and mathematics, which he believes is also in harmony with each other.
3. Epistemology.
Leibniz's epistemology was an important part of his philosophical thought. He believes that human cognition is obtained through sensation and rational thinking, which is our direct perception of the external world, and rational thinking is our processing and arrangement of feelings. Leibniz emphasized that human knowledge has limitations, and we can only know the world that we can perceive, but not the whole world. At the same time, he also believes that human understanding is hierarchical, and from perceptual understanding to rational understanding is a process of continuous deepening.
4. Political Science.
Leibniz's political thought is the application and extension of his philosophical thought. He believes that politics is a social phenomenon, a form of organization established by human beings to achieve the common good. He advocated the settlement of international disputes through peaceful means and advocated international friendship and cooperation. At the same time, he also believed that the monarch should respect the rights and freedoms of the people and establish a just and equal political system.
5. Logic.
Leibniz's ideas of logic were an important part of his philosophical thought. He believes that logic is the basis and premise of thinking, and it is a tool for people to think and communicate. He advocated the study of logic through a formal approach, and the expression of ideas and reasoning through symbolic language. At the same time, he also proposed the idea of a "universal language", which sought to promote communication and understanding between different peoples by establishing a common language.
6. Mathematics. Leibniz's mathematical ideas are an extension and application of his philosophical ideas. He believed that mathematics was an exact scientific language, a tool for people to think and communicate. He advocated the study of mathematics through symbolic language, and the derivation of new conclusions and knowledge through axioms and theorems. At the same time, he also proposed the concept and algorithm of "binary", which laid the foundation for the development of computer science.
In short, Leibniz's ideas were rich in content and innovative, and had a profound impact on Western philosophy, political science, logic, mathematics, and other fields. His philosophical thinking and innovative spirit are reflected in his monadism, predetermined harmony, epistemology, political science, logic, and mathematics.