Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

4th c. 5th c. 6th c. 7th c. 8th c. 9th c. 10th c. 11th c. 12th c. 13th c. 14th c. 15th c. 16th c. 17th c. 18th c. 19th c. 20th c. 21st c.
Letters from and to Gottfried
Wilhelm Leibniz within the
collection of manuscript
papers of Gottfried Wilhelm
Leibniz
Inscribed 2007
What is it
The extensive correspondence, stretching over half a
century, of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, one of the greatest
17th-century thinkers. He corresponded with individuals
all over the world covering a wide range of scientific and
scholarly topics.
Why was it inscribed
The letters to and from Leibniz reflect the development
of scholarship and science in his era. Its size, versatility
and completeness, allied with the prestige of Leibniz
in his era, makes his correspondence unique and of
world significance.
Where is it
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library – Lower Saxony State
Library, Hannover, Germany
If the modern scientific world looks back to its origins,
it meets Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) – the
mathematician, natural scientist, engineer, logician,
philosopher, jurist, science organizer and perhaps the
last universalist. It is Leibniz’s correspondence (about
15,000 letters from and to about 1100 correspondents)
that reveals the wide range of topics he worked on. The
letters written by Leibniz (about 40 percent of all the
letters in the collection) are mainly drafts in his own hand.
The letters actually dispatched were mainly written by
amanuenses or copying clerks and then signed by Leibniz.
This correspondence provides an invaluable insight into
the extent to which Leibniz influenced the thought of the
scientific world of his time. He established a global network
of correspondents, even as far as China, and thus exchanged
letters with the most eminent scientists and scholars of
his day.
Being accepted as the most prominent scientist and
scholar of his time, Leibniz was looked upon by his
246 Letters from and to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
contemporaries as an expert, arbiter, scientific advocate
and referee in matters of science and scholarship. His
correspondence thus reflects contemporary knowledge on
any topic, be it in Leibniz’s discussions of his own works,
the discussions of the work of others, or his aspiration to
academic positions. Leibniz’s correspondence today sets
him as one of the first to establish what is nowadays called
the scientific and scholarly community.
The letters of Leibniz also discuss contemporary issues.
Their scope ranges from statements on the regal election
in Poland, legal opinions on the Hanoverian electorate
and the succession to the British throne, statements on
the subject of reunion of the Christian denominations,
intellectual pan-European unity including Russia and
even extends to a thorough examination of China and the
thoughts of Confucius. He encouraged religious toleration
between Christian denominations and was open-minded
in his approach to other cultures. Intellectual debate
through letters was an essential part of Leibniz’s life and
his proficiency in languages enabled this discussion
to take place with scientists and intellectuals around the
world. His correspondence was mostly written in Latin and
French, but sometimes also in German, and occasionally
in English, Italian and Dutch.
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library and its
predecessor institutions have owned the manuscript
papers and letters since Leibniz’s death in 1716. In 1895 the
librarian, Eduard Bodemann, published a catalogue of the
Leibniz’s manuscripts and in 1889 a catalogue of Leibniz’s
correspondence that scholars and scientists have studied
from that time on.
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, the great German mathematician,
polymath and correspondent. �