Gottfried Leibniz

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a German philosopher and mathematician. Though Leibniz was a polymath who contributed many works to many different fields, he is best known for his contributions to math, in which he invented differential and integral calculus independently of Sir Isaac Newton. In philosophy, Leibniz is known for his contributions on a wide range of subjects, including “optimism”—the idea that the current world is the best of all possible worlds, and was created by a freely thinking God who chose this for a good reason.