This book begins with an observation: At the time when empiricism arose and slowly established itself, the word itself had not yet been coined. Hence the central question of this volume: What does it mean to conduct empirical science in early modern Europe? How can we catch the elusive figure of the empiricist? Our answer focuses on the practices established by representative scholars. This approach allows us to demonstrate two things. First, that empiricism is not a monolith but exists in a plurality of forms. Today's understanding of the empirical sciences was gradually shaped by the exchanges among scholars combining different traditions, world views and experimental settings. Second, the long proclaimed antagonism between empiricism and rationalism is not the whole story. Our case studies show that a very fruitful exchange between both systems of thought occurred. It is a story of integration, appropriation and transformation more than one of mere opposition. We asked twelve authors to explore these fascinating new facets of empiricisms. The plurality of their voices mirrors the multiple faces of the concept itself. Every contribution can be understood as a piece of a much larger puzzle. Together, they help us better understand the emergence of empiricism and the inventiveness of the scientific enterprise.

Mit der Veroffentlichung der "Naturwissenschaftlichen, medizinischen und technischen Schriften" als Reihe VIII der Akademie-Ausgabe wird erstmals ein Teil des Leibniz'schen Schaffens zuganglich, der bisher nur selten Gegenstand editorischer Bemuhungen und systematischer Forschung war. Dessen ungeachtet hat er als Bindeglied zwischen Mathematik und Philosophie herausragende Bedeutung fur das Verstandnis des Leibniz'schen Denkens. Die neue Reihe wird 9 Bande umfassen und in chronologisch-systematischer Folge Leibniz Beitrage u.a. zu Astronomie, Botanik, Zoologie, Alchimie, Mineralogie und Geowissenschaften enthalten. Einen prominenten Platz nehmen die einzelnen physikalischen Disziplinen, insbesondere die Mechanik, ein. Bereits in den ersten Banden werden Uberlegungen prasentiert, die spater zur Formulierung des beruhmten Satzes uber die Erhaltung der lebendigen Kraft fuhren. Aber auch Nautik, Pneumatik und Hydrodynamik sind bevorzugte Forschungsfelder. Mit den naturwissenschaftlichen Texten fast umfangsgleich sind die Schriften zur Medizin und Pharmazie. Zum Inhalt der Reihe VIII gehoren daruber hinaus Militaria und Technica. Ein Novum der Reihe besteht darin, dass samtliche Texte auch in einer Internetprasentation zur Verfugung gestellt werden, die es u.a. ermoglicht, die zugehorigen Handschriften als digitalisierte Bilder aufzurufen und mit den Transkriptionen zu vergleichen. Die ersten beiden Bande werden die Schriften aus der Zeit bis zum Ende von Leibniz' Parisaufenthalt 1676 enthalten."

This book begins with an observation: At the time when empiricism arose and slowly established itself, the word itself had not yet been coined. Hence the central question of this volume: What does it mean to conduct empirical science in early modern Europe? How can we catch the elusive figure of the empiricist? Our answer focuses on the practices established by representative scholars. This approach allows us to demonstrate two things. First, that empiricism is not a monolith but exists in a plurality of forms. Today's understanding of the empirical sciences was gradually shaped by the exchanges among scholars combining different traditions, world views and experimental settings. Second, the long proclaimed antagonism between empiricism and rationalism is not the whole story. Our case studies show that a very fruitful exchange between both systems of thought occurred. It is a story of integration, appropriation and transformation more than one of mere opposition. We asked twelve authors to explore these fascinating new facets of empiricisms. The plurality of their voices mirrors the multiple faces of the concept itself. Every contribution can be understood as a piece of a much larger puzzle. Together, they help us better understand the emergence of empiricism and the inventiveness of the scientific enterprise.