Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz (1646 -1716) was one of the world’s most gifted mathematicians and philosophers. A contemporary of Sir Isaac Newton, he was co-discoverer with Newton of calculus, also anticipating the fundamental scientific principle of energy conservation. He introduced the binary notational system and anticipated the Boolean system of logic. He made many other scientific and mathematical contributions, but is perhaps best known for his “theodicy,” a philosophical and theological study attempting to prove that this is the best of all possible worlds. Although somewhat heterodox in doctrine, he firmly believed in God and even wrote a defense of the doctrine of the Trinity. He spent much effort (unsuccessfully) trying to define theological common ground for the reunion of the Catholic and Protestant churches and also, later, for the reunion of the Lutheran and Reformed Churches.
Excerpted from Men of Science, Men of God by Henry M. Morris. Copyright 1982, 1988 by Henry M. Morris. Used by permission.