The Dictionary of Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century Dutch Philosophers covers the 200-year period of the Dutch Republic, when its people experienced a Golden Age in the arts, in sea trade and in philosophy that left a lasting impression on European culture. The Dutch witnessed nothing less than a philosophical revolution, driven to a large extent by the migres from France, Finland, Portugal, Britain, Switzerland, Germany and elsewhere, who provided the Golden Age with its thinkers. As a result of the unique position held by the Netherlands during the period, this dictionary constitutes an anthology of European thought at large. Included are all foreign thinkers (such as Rene Descartes and Pierre Bayle) who exercised a major influence on the philosophical life of the Dutch Republic and who developed their ideas through interaction with other philosophers residing there. Among these resident philosophers, as well as all the well-known figures such as Benedict Spinoza, many lesser-known ones are included. Each entry includes a bibliography listing the subject's major and minor philosophical writings and giving guidance to further reading. A system of cross-references makes it easy for the reader to pursue connections and influences. In addition, the dictionary features entries on Dutch universities, city academies, publishing houses and journals. This work will be of interest to all students and scholars of the period.

The Dictionary of Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century Dutch Philosophers covers the 200-year period of the Dutch Republic, when its people experienced a Golden Age in the arts, in sea trade and in philosophy that left a lasting impression on European culture. The Dutch witnessed nothing less than a philosophical revolution, driven to a large extent by the migres from France, Finland, Portugal, Britain, Switzerland, Germany and elsewhere, who provided the Golden Age with its thinkers. As a result of the unique position held by the Netherlands during the period, this dictionary constitutes an anthology of European thought at large. Included are all foreign thinkers (such as Rene Descartes and Pierre Bayle) who exercised a major influence on the philosophical life of the Dutch Republic and who developed their ideas through interaction with other philosophers residing there. Among these resident philosophers, as well as all the well-known figures such as Benedict Spinoza, many lesser-known ones are included. Each entry includes a bibliography listing the subject's major and minor philosophical writings and giving guidance to further reading. A system of cross-references makes it easy for the reader to pursue connections and influences. In addition, the dictionary features entries on Dutch universities, city academies, publishing houses and journals. This work will be of interest to all students and scholars of the period.

Leibniz published the Dissertation on Combinatorial Art in 1666. This book contains the seeds of Leibniz's mature thought, as well as many of the mathematical ideas that he would go on to further develop after the invention of the calculus. It is in the Dissertation, for instance, that we find the project for the construction of a logical calculus clearly expressed for the first time. The idea of encoding terms and propositions by means of numbers, later developed by Kurt Goedel, also appears in this work. In this text, furthermore, Leibniz conceives the possibility of constituting a universal language or universal characteristic, a project that he would pursue for the rest of his life. Mugnai, van Ruler, and Wilson present the first full English translation of the Dissertation, complete with a critical introduction and a comprehensive commentary.