In order to understand Leibniz's system we must not forget a point to which sufficient attention has not been paid, namely, that Leibniz never gave up or rejected the mechanicalism of Decartes. He always affirmed that everything in nature could be explained mechanically; that, in the explanation of phenomena, recourse must never be had to occult causes; so far indeed did he press this position that he refused to admit Newton's attraction of gravitation, suspecting it of being an occult quality: while, however, Leibniz admitted with Descartes the application of mechanicalism he differed from him in regard to the basis of it and he is continually repeating that if everything in nature is mechanical, geometrical and mathematical the source of mechanicalism is in metaphysics.[1]
Descartes explained everything geometrically and mechani-
- ↑ Letter to Schulemburg (Dutens, T. III, p. 332): "The Cartesians rightly felt that all particular phenomena of bodies are produced mechanically, but they failed to see that the sources of mechanicalism in turn arise in some other cause." Letter to Rémond de Montmort (Erdman, Opera Philosophica, p. 702): "When I seek for the ultimate reasons of mechanicalism and the laws of motion I am surprised to discover that they are not to be found in mathematics and that we must turn to metaphysics."—See also: De Natura Ipsa, 3; De Origine Radicali; Animadversiones in Cartesium Guhrauer, p. 80), etc.
busy life. He contributed to the founding of the Acta Eruditorum, a sort of journal of learning. From 1687 to 1691, at the request of his patron, Duke Ernst-Augustus, he was engaged in searching various archives in Germany and Italy for the writing of the history of the house of Brunswick. To him the Academy of Berlin, of which he was the first president, owes its foundation. The last fifteen years of his life were given up principally to philosophy. In this period must be placed the New Essays, the Theodicy, the Monadology, and also his correspondence with Clarke, which was interrupted by his death—November 14, 1716. For fuller details, see Guhrauer's learned and complete biography, 2 vols, Breslau, 1846. During the life-time of Leibniz, aside from the articles in journals, only some five of his writings were published, including his doctor's thesis, De Principle Individui (1663), and the Théodicée (1710). After his death (1716) all his papers were deposited in the library at Hanover, where they are to-day, a great part of them (15,000 letters) still unpublished. In 1717-1719 appeared the Correspondence with Locke; in 1720 a German translation of the Monadology; in 1765 his Oeuvres Philosophiques, etc., including the New Essays on the Human understanding; in 1768 Duten's edition of his works in six volumes; in 1840 appeared Erdmann's edition of his works, including among other unpublished writings the original French of the Monadology. The Correspondence with Arnauld and the Treatise on Metaphysics were first published by Grotefend in 1840. Gerhardt published Leibniz's mathematical works 1843 to 1863, and the Philosophical Works (seven volumes), 1875-1890. In 1900 Paul Janet, who had already published the Philosophical Works (1866) in two volumes, brought out a second edition, revised and enlarged. The first English translation of Leibniz's works was made by Professor G. M. Duncan, who included in one volume all of the better known shorter works (1890). This was followed in 1896 with a translation of the New Essays by A. G. Langley. Latta's translation of some of the shorter works, including the Monadology, has earned a well-merited reputation, and Russell's work on Leibniz's philosophy contains much that is suggestive to a translator.
