Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) was one of the intellectual giants that helped shape the birth of the modern period. His influence across many branches of learning is inestimable: amongst other things, in mathematics he co-discovered the calculus and created the binary system; in the sciences he constructed a sophisticated dynamics, produced new theories about the natures of space and time, and made important observations about the age and structure of the Earth; and in philosophy he devised the system of pre-established harmony, developed the notion of possible worlds, and instigated the project of theodicy.
This conference aims to celebrate Leibniz's work by exploring the depth of his philosophical vision in conjunction with his engagement with the sciences of his time. The organizers invite papers that offer new insights into Leibniz's metaphysics and epistemology, and those which explore the nexus between his metaphysics and physics, between his logic and his contributions in other fields such as mathematics, engineering and the nascent life- and earth-sciences. Contributions will be sought under four broad themes, namely:
- Metaphysics and epistemology
- Mathematics and dynamics
- Life sciences and earth sciences
- Ethics and theology
Abstracts for papers falling under any of the above themes, broadly construed, are welcomed. Abstracts should be no more than 500 words in length and prepared for blind review. Please include your name, affiliation and contact details in the body of your email. Abstracts in Microsoft Word or PDF format should be submitted to submissions@leibniz-translations.com by midnight on 28 November 2014.
Decisions on submissions will be relayed no later than 21 December 2014.
Papers selected for presentation at the conference should be of a length suitable for delivery in 30 minutes, i.e. 3500 - 4000 words (max.). All conference papers will be made available online to delegates prior to the start of the conference; to facilitate this, the deadline for the submission of papers is 31 May 2015.
Following the conference, the organizers aim to compile and publish a peer-reviewed volume, Leibniz - Scientist, Leibniz - Philosopher, consisting of the papers by the two invited keynote speakers as well as a number of other high-quality contributions developed from the papers delivered at the conference. When submitting an abstract, please indicate in your email whether you would like your paper considered for publication as part of this
volume.
For enquiries and/or further details, please contact the conference organisers:
Lloyd Strickland: L.Strickland@mmu.ac.uk
Erik Vynckier: evynckier.mba2000@london.edu
Julia Weckend: julia.weckend@conted.ox.ac.uk