Die philosophischen Schriften Vol. 2

All existing collections of the philosophical writings of Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) was a German polymath and a central figure in the history of both philosophy and mathematics. are incomplete. Even if they contain the writings printed to date, much is still missing that is worthy of publication—and indeed necessary for the understanding of his philosophy—which can be found in his literary estate: the body of unpublished manuscripts, letters, and documents left behind after an author's death. This estate is well known to be kept in the Royal Library at Hannover, but regarding the philosophical manuscripts, it does not appear as complete as is the case in other fields, specifically with the mathematical manuscripts.

It was primarily the philosophical writings of Leibniz that were published after his death during the course of the 18th century; for this purpose, the library administration most willingly provided the original manuscripts. However, the latter were never returned, and perhaps were never even requested back. It seems that at that time, there were different views regarding such manuscripts than there are today: the preservation of originals was not considered necessary if they had been published in print or if copies had been made of them. Leibniz himself had already partially proceeded in this manner with his manuscripts.

Here, the editor of the present collection cannot suppress the wish that this work might simultaneously serve as an incentive, so that whatever of the Leib- The text cuts off here at the start of the name "Leibniz"; the sentence likely continues on the following page.