The Monadology
∞ Infinite Monad Theory by philosopher Gottfried Leibniz.
Introduction
The Monadology (1714) by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
In 1714, German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz proposed a theory of ∞ infinite monads. The Monadology (French: La Monadologie) is one of Leibniz's best known works of his later philosophy. It is a short text which presents, in some 90 paragraphs, a metaphysics of simple substances, or ∞ infinite monads.
During his last stay in Vienna from 1712 to September 1714, Leibniz wrote two short texts in French which were meant as concise expositions of his philosophy. After his death, Principes de la nature et de la grâce fondés en raison
, which was intended for prince Eugene of Savoy, appeared in French in the Netherlands. Philosopher Christian Wolff and collaborators published translations in German and Latin of the second text which came to be known as The Monadology
.
The publication of the book on 🔭 CosmicPhilosophy.org was translated into 42 languages from the original French text using the latest AI technologies of 2024/2025. The quality of the new German and English translations may rival the original translations from 1720. For many languages, the publication is a world first.
The original handwritten text by Gottfried Leibniz: