Leibniz and geography : geologist, paleontologist, biologist, historian, political theorist and geopolitician

Elden, S.

Abstract

This article discusses the way that the German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Leibniz (1646–1716) made a number of significant contributions to geography. In outlining his contributions as a geologist, palaeontologist, biologist, historian, political theorist and geopolitician, it challenges the straightforward way he is read in geography. Particular focus is on his Protogaea, the Annales Imperii and the Consilium Aegyptiacum, respectively a pre-history of the earth, a chronology of German nobility in the Middle Ages, and a military-strategic proposal to King Louis XIV. Making use of contemporary debates about ways of reading Leibniz, and drawing on a wide range of his writings, the article indicates just how much remains to be discovered about his work.

Citation

Elden, S. (2013). Leibniz and geography : geologist, paleontologist, biologist, historian, political theorist and geopolitician. Geographica Helvetica, 68(2), 81-93

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 15, 2013
• Online Publication Date: Jul 10, 2013
• Publication Date: Jul 10, 2013
• Deposit Date: May 2, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 2, 2017
• Journal: Geographica Helvetica
• Print ISSN: 0016-7312
• Electronic ISSN: 2194-8798
• Publisher: Copernicus Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 68
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 81-93
• Publisher URL: http://www.geogr-helv.net/68/81/2013/gh-68-81-2013.html