Leibniz and the classical tradition

Abstract

Leibniz was inducted into the Classical tradition at a very early age and he never lost his enthusiasm for ancient philosophy. In the late 1660s he engaged in a project to reconcile Aristotle with Modern Philosophy. During his stay in Paris, however, he alled himself with the French defenders of ancient philosophy against the Cartesians and made some study of the texts of Plato. He was reluctant to publish his own metaphysical system, fearing the charge of “innovation” and, when he eventually published a version of it, he made much of links with Classical authors. In his later philosophy Leibniz presented himself within the tradition of eclecticism but, it is suggested, his thought is closest to that of Plato and his early followers.