Leibniz: Dissertation on Combinatorial Art

by Martin Wilson, Massimo Mugnai (Editor), Han van Ruler (Editor)

Overview

Leibniz published the Dissertation on Combinatorial Art in 1666. This book contains the seeds of Leibniz's mature thought, as well as many of the mathematical ideas that he would go on to further develop after the invention of the calculus. It is in the Dissertation, for instance, that we find the project for the construction of a logical calculus clearly expressed for the first time. The idea of encoding terms and propositions by means of numbers, later developed by Kurt Gödel, also appears in this work. In this text, furthermore, Leibniz conceives the possibility of constituting a universal language or universal characteristic, a project that he would pursue for the rest of his life. Mugnai, van Ruler, and Wilson present the first full English translation of the Dissertation, complete with a critical introduction and a comprehensive commentary.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198837954
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/21/2020
Series:	Leibniz from Oxford
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 6.40(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Massimo Mugnai, Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa,Han van Ruler, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Massimo Mugnai is Professor Emeritus of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa. He is a member of the scientific board of the Florentine Center for History and Philosophy of Science and of the Leibniz-Gesellschaft of Hannover. Mugnai has previously worked at the University of Bari and the University of Florence. He has delivered papers at numerous universities, including Bonn, Düsseldorf, Freiburg, Hannover, Konstanz, Leipzig, Edinburgh, Madrid, MacMaster, and Ontario.

Han van Ruler studied philosophy at Utrecht University and obtained his PhD at the University of Groningen in 1995. He is Professor of Intellectual History at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is also Scientific Director of the Dutch Research School of Philosophy (OZSW) and General Editor of Brill's Studies in Intellectual History. He has published a variety of modern editions in English and Dutch of seventeenth-century philosophical works by Descartes, Geulincx, and Spinoza.

Martin Wilson graduated in mathematics at the University of London in 1964, after which he completed an MA at the University of Sheffield and then spent two years at Newcastle University studying Polynomial theory. His publications include an English edition of the seventeenth-century Flemish philosopher Arnold Geulincx's Metaphysics (Christoffel 1999) and, together with Han van Ruler and Anthony Uhlmann, an English edition of Geulincx's Ethics: With Samuel Beckett's Notes (Brill 2006).

Table of Contents

On This EditionIntroductionA Dissertation on Combinatorial Art: TextA Dissertation on Combinatorial Art: TranslationBibliography

Editorial Reviews

"the DAC is widely recognized as the most original and most important early work by Leibniz, containing the seeds of his mature philosophy and, in particular, of his logic. Mugnai, van Ruler, and Wilson have devoted many years to this daunting task: the result is a volume of outstanding quality and exceptional importance. In brief, this is a major contribution to the history of philosophy in general and the history of logic in particular - one which will have a long shelf life. Any serious research library should have a copy on its shelves." — Maria Rosa Antognazza, History and Philosophy of Logic

"an impressive and fluent translation of Leibniz's early work Dissertatio de arte combinatoria . . . not only a great addition to the scholarship repertoire of Leibniz scholars, but also provides new avenues for historians of philosophy, theology, logic, mathematics, and computing. Given the difficult nature of the subject and the imperfections in Leibniz's work, the editors have provided invaluable aids in the volume itself." — Tzuchien Tho, Centaurus

"In sum, the authors are to be highly commended for producing a very readable and hugely informative English translation, and equipping the reader with such expert guidance to negotiate this wonderful text." — Richard T. W. Arthur, The Leibniz Review

"This translation is thus a major event for Leibniz studies and will hopefully stimulate new research on the early Leibniz ... In addition to Leibniz scholars, the Dissertation should find an audience in students of the histories of mathematics and logic." — Christopher P. Noble, Metascience

"For the benefit of non-Latin-speaking readers, this edition is an invaluable addition to the works of Leibniz translated into English." — Athanase Papadopoulos, Mathematical Reviews Clippings

From the Publisher