When Leibniz died, his reputation was in decline. He was remembered for only one book, the Théodicée,[192] whose supposed central argument Voltaire lampooned in his popular book Candide, which concludes with the character Candide saying, "Non liquet" (it is not clear), a term that was applied during the Roman Republic to a legal verdict of "not proven". Voltaire's depiction of Leibniz's ideas was so influential that many believed it to be an accurate description. Thus Voltaire and his Candide bear some of the blame for the lingering failure to appreciate and understand Leibniz's ideas. Leibniz had an ardent disciple, Christian Wolff, whose dogmatic and facile outlook did Leibniz's reputation much harm. Leibniz also influenced David Hume, who read his Théodicée and used some of his ideas.[193] In any event, philosophical fashion was moving away from the rationalism and system building of the 17th century, of which Leibniz had been such an ardent proponent. His work on law, diplomacy, and history was seen as of ephemeral interest. The vastness and richness of his correspondence went unrecognized.
Leibniz's reputation began to recover with the 1765 publication of the Nouveaux Essais. In 1768, Louis Dutens edited the first multi-volume edition of Leibniz's writings, followed in the 19th century by a number of editions, including those edited by Erdmann, Foucher de Careil, Gerhardt, Gerland, Klopp, and Mollat. Publication of Leibniz's correspondence with notables such as Antoine Arnauld, Samuel Clarke, Sophia of Hanover, and her daughter Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, began.
In 1900, Bertrand Russell published a critical study of Leibniz's metaphysics.[194] Shortly thereafter, Louis Couturat published an important study of Leibniz, and edited a volume of Leibniz's heretofore unpublished writings, mainly on logic. They made Leibniz somewhat respectable among 20th-century analytical and linguistic philosophers in the English-speaking world (Leibniz had already been of great influence to many Germans such as Bernhard Riemann). For example, Leibniz's phrase salva veritate, meaning interchangeability without loss of or compromising the truth, recurs in Willard Quine's writings. Nevertheless, the secondary literature on Leibniz did not really blossom until after World War II. This is especially true of English speaking countries; in Gregory Brown's bibliography fewer than 30 of the English language entries were published before 1946. American Leibniz studies owe much to Leroy Loemker (1904–1985) through his translations and his interpretive essays in LeClerc (1973). Leibniz's philosophy was also highly regarded by Gilles Deleuze,[195] who in 1988 published The Fold: Leibniz and the Baroque, an important part of Deleuze's own corpus. Nicholas Jolley has surmised that Leibniz's reputation as a philosopher is now perhaps higher than at any time since he was alive.[196] Analytic and contemporary philosophy continue to invoke his notions of identity, individuation, and possible worlds. Work in the history of 17th- and 18th-century ideas has revealed more clearly the 17th-century "Intellectual Revolution" that preceded the better-known Industrial and commercial revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries.
In Germany, various important institutions were named after Leibniz. In Hanover in particular, he is the namesake for some of the most important institutions in the town:
- Leibniz University Hannover
- Leibniz-Akademie, Institution for academic and non-academic training and further education in the business sector
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Bibliothek – Niedersächsische Landesbibliothek, one of the largest regional and academic libraries in Germany and, alongside the Oldenburg State Library and the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel, one of the three state libraries in Lower Saxony
- Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz-Gesellschaft, Society for the cultivation and dissemination of Leibniz's teachings
outside of Hanover:
- Leibniz Association, Berlin
- Leibniz-Sozietät der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Association of scientists founded in Berlin in 1993 with the legal form of a registered association; It continues the activities of the Academy of Sciences of the GDR with personnel continuity
- Leibniz Kolleg of Tübingen University, central propaedeutic institution of the university, which aims to enable high school graduates to make a well-founded study decision through a ten-month, comprehensive general course of study and at the same time to introduce them to academic work
- Leibniz Supercomputing Centre, Munich
- more than 20 schools all over Germany
Awards:
- Leibniz-Ring-Hannover, Honor given since 1997 by the Hannover Press Club to personalities or institutions “who have drawn attention to themselves through an outstanding performance or have made a special mark through their life’s work.”
- Leibniz-Medaille of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, established in 1906 and awarded previously by the Prussian Academy of Sciences and later the German Academy of Sciences at Berlin
- Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz-Medaille of the Leibniz-Sozietät
- Leibniz-Medaille der Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz
In 1985, the German government created the Leibniz Prize, offering an annual award of 1.55 million euros for experimental results and 770,000 euros for theoretical ones. It was the world's largest prize for scientific achievement prior to the Fundamental Physics Prize.
The collection of manuscript papers of Leibniz at the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Bibliothek – Niedersächische Landesbibliothek was inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2007.[197]
Cultural references
Leibniz still receives popular attention. The Google Doodle for 1 July 2018 celebrated Leibniz's 372nd birthday.[198][199][200] Using a quill, his hand is shown writing "Google" in binary ASCII code.
One of the earliest popular but indirect expositions of Leibniz was Voltaire's satire Candide, published in 1759. Leibniz was lampooned as Professor Pangloss, described as "the greatest philosopher of the Holy Roman Empire".
Leibniz also appears as one of the main historical figures in Neal Stephenson's series of novels The Baroque Cycle. Stephenson credits readings and discussions concerning Leibniz for inspiring him to write the series.[201]
Leibniz also stars in Adam Ehrlich Sachs's novel The Organs of Sense.
The German biscuit Choco Leibniz is named after Leibniz, a famous resident of Hanover where the manufacturer Bahlsen is based.
