Der Universalgelehrte Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

The Leibniz exhibition in the main building of the Leibniz University is increasingly developing into a central location where the life and work of the last great universal scholar, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) can be experienced and comprehended. This documentation volume contains the images and texts from the exhibition in expanded form.
The reader will initially find information on the genesis and concept of the exhibition, an introduction to the 17th century as a new era in scientific and technical progress, and closing chapters on Leibniz's life, his maxims and his theories of knowledge. Further contributions examine Leibniz and philosophy, theology and economics; legal, historical, linguistic and financial theories; academies and art collections; and Leibniz's political activities.
Elsewhere the focus is on Leibniz's achievements in mathematics (infinitesimal calculus, determinants, calculus of variations, the catenary), physics and mechanics. Of particular significance are the explanations of the decimal calculating machine, of a binary calculating machine surviving only in a written description, and of a ciphering/deciphering machine.