
Dropping In on Gottfried Leibniz - mh_
http://blog.stephenwolfram.com/2013/05/dropping-in-on-gottfried-leibniz/
======
abecedarius
This may be unfair to Leibniz's work on logic, which IIRC achieved something
like Boolean algebra:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottfried_Wilhelm_Leibniz#Forma...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottfried_Wilhelm_Leibniz#Formal_logic)

(The work went unpublished till 1903. I can't be confident this is unfair
because I never finished reading the long paper reviewing it.)

------
tunesmith
Does he mean the same thing by monads that Haskell people mean by monads?

~~~
infinity
No, these are different things. The monads or 'simple substances' in the
monadology of Leibniz are an important part of his later philosophy and a tool
to solve metaphysical problems. For example, God is a monad, all other monads
are created from it, they cannot come into existence by themselves.

In computer science monads are an abstract data type.

~~~
tikhonj
To be pedantic, they're really an algebraic structure rather than an abstract
data type. This means that many different things can form monads, much like
many different things can form groups or rings.

------
chrisbennet
Google "unit of ego" as in "I suggest we call the unit of ego the Wolfram"

[http://www.aleph.se/andart/archives/2009/04/monumental_egos....](http://www.aleph.se/andart/archives/2009/04/monumental_egos.html)

------
kghose
It was very interesting. I first didn't realize it was Wolfram's blog. I was
split by the tone of the post, which seemed to be comparing the author to
Leibniz and which seemed to be a little pompous. It was an interesting bit of
history about Leibniz at the end. I found the medal bit hilarious. Not quite
as pompous, perhaps, a bit of harmless fun.

Anyhow, for math history buffs out there, if you go to Germany, drop by the
Arithmeum in Bonn (<http://www.arithmeum.uni-bonn.de/en/home/>). It is a fun
place to spend an afternoon.

~~~
infinity
Considering that Leibniz was truly a gifted child of the Age of Enlightenment
and a philosopher, scientist, mathematician, diplomat, physicist, historian,
politician, librarian and lawyer, who has left behind an opus of written
documents that requires one whole dedicated Leibniz archive, I was indeed
astonished by the tone of the author - comparing himself with Leibniz :)

~~~
chm
I was actually surprised he didn't feel superior to Leibniz. I use Wolfram's
products, but I absolutely can't stand the persona.

------
skurmedel
I am as amazing as Leibniz.

Yours sincerely, Stephen Wolfram

~~~
softbuilder
I'll admit to a LOL here, but overall I didn't think this post was arrogant.
This is an established mathematician reviewing the work of a another with the
benefit of hindsight. Sure, he draws parallels to his own work but that's
because from his perspective that's how things have evolved. I imagine an
equally qualified person with different specialities might see connections to
their work too.

