Preface.

possess full correctness, but are rather to be counted among the most important and useful. I have therefore endeavored to remedy this deficiency, and above all else have striven to speak of nothing for which I have not presented a distinct concept. distinct concept: From the German "deutlicher Begriff." In Wolff's logic, a concept is distinct when its individual characteristics can be clearly identified and used in a logical proof. In this, however, I have followed the rules that are to be found partly in the first and partly in the second chapter of the Rational Thoughts on the Powers of the Human Understanding. original: "vernünfftigen Gedancken von den Kräfften des Verstandes." This refers to Wolff's earlier work on logic, often called his "German Logic" (1712), which provides the methodological foundation for his entire philosophical system. Therefore, whoever wishes to examine the definitions original: "Erklärungen." While this can mean "explanations," in Wolff's mathematical-philosophical method, it specifically refers to formal definitions that serve as the starting point for demonstration. I have given must first be willing to carefully go through the two aforementioned chapters, and then hold the definitions given in the present work against the rules found there. Then I am