Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Chronological Table
- Introduction
- PART I YOUTHFUL VOCATIONS (1646–1676)
- PART II DREAMS AND REALITY (1676–1716)
- 4 A Universal Genius as Librarian, Historian, and Mining Engineer: Hanover and Lower Saxony (December 1676–October 1687)
- 5 In the Footsteps of the Guelfs: Southern Germany, Austria, and Italy (November 1687–June 1690)
- 6 Back under the Guelf Dukes: Hanover and Wolfenbüttel (June 1690–February 1698)
- 7 Between Brother and Sister: Hanover and Berlin (February 1698–February 1705)
- 8 Light and Shadows: Hanover, Berlin, Wolfenbüttel, Vienna (February 1705–September 1714)
- 9 Epilogue: Last Years in Hanover (September 1714–November 1716)
- Appendix
- References
- Index
6 - Back under the Guelf Dukes: Hanover and Wolfenbüttel (June 1690–February 1698)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 September 2014
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Chronological Table
- Introduction
- PART I YOUTHFUL VOCATIONS (1646–1676)
- PART II DREAMS AND REALITY (1676–1716)
- 4 A Universal Genius as Librarian, Historian, and Mining Engineer: Hanover and Lower Saxony (December 1676–October 1687)
- 5 In the Footsteps of the Guelfs: Southern Germany, Austria, and Italy (November 1687–June 1690)
- 6 Back under the Guelf Dukes: Hanover and Wolfenbüttel (June 1690–February 1698)
- 7 Between Brother and Sister: Hanover and Berlin (February 1698–February 1705)
- 8 Light and Shadows: Hanover, Berlin, Wolfenbüttel, Vienna (February 1705–September 1714)
- 9 Epilogue: Last Years in Hanover (September 1714–November 1716)
- Appendix
- References
- Index
Summary
Back in hanover, it was not long before Leibniz felt a claustrophobic uneasiness closing in on him in the absence of the sustained intellectual conversation he had so much enjoyed during his trip south. The burden of many different occupations relating to his offices as historiographer and court counsellor weighed heavily on his shoulders. In October 1690 he confided to Huygens,
If I had the age and leisure which I had in Paris, I would hope it would serve to make the progress in physics which your first gift helped me make in geometry. But that mental vigour is quite diminished and in addition I am distracted by completely different studies which seem to require my complete attention. From time to time I manage to escape from this prison where I find myself, and the trip as far as Italy which I have just undertaken has cheered me up a bit; but now I must return more than ever to my ordinary duties, and in particular to a far-reaching historical work, laden with facts, which requires great precision.
Writing on 29 November 1691 to one of his new correspondents on religious and philosophical issues, Paul Pellisson-Fontanier, he lamented, “Here, if I think about these things, it is as on the sly. One can hardly speak to anyone.” Intellectually, Leibniz was in fact a very gregarious spirit who thrived in his treasured exchanges with other minds. He always seemed to have time for a chat and apparently had the common touch as well – the gift of conversing with uneducated people.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- LeibnizAn Intellectual Biography, pp. 320 - 380Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008