Preface.

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—ness, for the citations citations: German "citationes." These are the cross-references Wolff uses to link one paragraph to another, ensuring the logical sequence is transparent and verifiable. found throughout show that everything is always accepted from what precedes it. Most of all, however, I have taken care that all truths truths: German "Wahrheiten." In Wolff's system, a truth is not just a fact, but a proposition that fits into a necessary, non-contradictory logical order. are connected to one another, and that the entire work work: German "Werck." This refers to the book as a complete system of thought rather than just a collection of observations. is like a chain The "chain of truths" (Latin: catena veritatum) is a central metaphor of Enlightenment rationalism. It suggests that knowledge is an unbreakable sequence where each conclusion serves as the foundation for the next., where one link is always joined to another, and in such a manner each link is connected to all the others. The citations found throughout will likewise sufficiently demonstrate this.

And thus I believe I have remedied the errors that have hitherto been found in the matters matters: German "Materien." This refers to the specific philosophical subjects discussed in the book: God, the world, and the soul. which are treated here. While I was writing the book, I constantly conducted myself as if I knew nothing of all these things yet, but rather were to discover them for the first time through reflection. reflection: German "Nachdencken." This is the core of Wolff’s "Rational Thoughts." It describes the active use of the intellect to derive truths through logic and reason, rather than relying on tradition, authority, or unexamined assumptions. And therefore all