We live in the best of all possible worlds
Gottfried LeibnizRead
He who understands Archimedes and Apollonius will admire less the achievements of the foremost men of later times.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Understanding past knowledge makes one appreciate modern achievements less.
This quote by Gottfried Leibniz suggests that a deep understanding of the works of great thinkers like Archimedes and Apollonius allows one to see the foundations of modern accomplishments, which might lead to a diminished sense of admiration for contemporary figures. It implies that historical intellectual achievements are so profound that they overshadow the contributions of more recent individuals.
Themes
UnderstandingKnowledgeHistoryAchievementWisdomIntellect
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about the importance of historical knowledge in shaping modern science.
More from Gottfried Leibniz
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It is unworthy of excellent men to lose hours like slaves in the labor of calculation which could be relegated to anyone else if machines were used.
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According to their [Newton and his followers] doctrine, God Almighty wants to wind up his watch from time to time: otherwise it would cease to move. He had not, it seems, sufficient foresight to make it a perpetual motion. Nay, the machine of God's making, so imperfect, according to these gentlemen; that he is obliged to clean it now and then by an extraordinary concourse, and even to mend it, as clockmaker mends his work.
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..This is why the ultimate reason of things must lie in a necessary substance, in which the differentiation of the changes only exists eminently as in their source; and this is what we call God.
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...a distinction must be made between true and false ideas, and that too much rein must not be given to a man's imagination under pretext of its being a clear and distinct intellection.
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