A Study Of Leibniz’s Theory Of Space And Time

Leibniz was one of the three major rationalist philosophers in modern Europe and an encyclopedic great scholar,known as the Aristotle of the 17 th century.Leibniz’s space-time theory occupies an important place in his metaphysics and mathematical sciences.By exploring the basic connotation and logical positioning of his space-time ideas in Leibniz’s thought system,it helps both to understand more deeply the inner logic of Leibniz’s grand ideas and to clarify the unique ideological significance of Leibniz’s space-time theory in the modern scientific revolution.Based on Leibniz’s philosophical writings and letters,on the one hand,this paper studies the background causes and evolutionary stages of Leibniz’s space-time theory through a "historical" approach.On the other hand,through a "philosophical" approach,we analyze Leibniz’s concepts of time and space,their definitions,logical orientation,comparative analysis,philosophical implications,and scientific values,and try to clarify the basic connotation of his space-time ideas and fully analyze their significance in the history of scientific thought.In this paper,we will first sort out the basic causes of Leibniz’s concept of space-time by cleaning up Leibniz’s relevant original works and their related literature-taking into account the background of his time and the facts of his life.At the same time,we will focus on clarifying the different conceptions of time and space held by Leibniz in various periods and survey the basic stages of his space-time theory.Our discussion will show that Leibniz’s early view of space-time dates back to 1668 and that his mid-term view of space-time can be further divided into different space-time claims during Leibniz’s stay in Paris and after his return to Germany.Second,Leibniz’s core arguments for his conception of space-time are mainly based on theological internal arguments and metaphysical external arguments based on the law of sufficient reason.Based on this,this paper will explore in depth the internal relationship between Leibniz’s theory of space-time and his metaphysical and theological ideas,and analyze the logical position of time and space in the context of extensiveness,material existence,fundamental entities,and perception of monad.In addition to the in-depth study,this study also compares Leibniz’s view of space-time with that of Descartes,Newton,and Kant in a cross-sectional manner,to explore the unique features of Leibniz’s theory of space-time and to present the intertwined similarities and differences between them and to identify and deepen the understanding of their origins.Finally,this paper focuses on the influence and value of Leibniz’s spacetime theory.We will show that Leibniz’s space-time theory has not only its unique philosophical-historical significance,but also its lasting influence on modern sciences such as historical sciences,geometry,geography,topology,and biology.Moreover,this idea is even expected to return to the theoretical horizon of modern physics,especially playing a crucial role and value guide for how general relativity and quantum mechanics are nested into a unified modern theory of space-time.