LEIBNIZ AND CHINA

Thus far we have examined Leibniz's philosophy as a basis for cultural exchange and comparative philosophy. On a metaphysical level, exchange is driven by the value of diversity in the best possible world and the derivation of diversity from variations in monadic perspectives. On an epistemological level, exchange is driven by the necessary limits of our own perspective and the fact that monads in distant places have different and complementary perspectives. This foundation grounds many forms of exchange, such as the reconciliation of church factions and the founding of learned societies, but it particularly drives exchange with distant monads. For Leibniz, this drive for exchange was directed almost exclusively toward China. In this chapter, we will see how Leibniz conceived that exchange and what he hoped to learn. Leibniz showed an interest in China and other cultures from an early age, and, of Europeans who never left Europe, he became one of the most knowledgeable about China, particularly in the breadth of his knowledge. His interpretation of Confucian thought has serious flaws, but stands well above those of his contemporaries, and even some of the missionaries. From his research into Leibniz's sources, David Mungello concluded that Leibniz had probably read or was familiar with every significant book that had been written on China. Leibniz mentions almost all of them at some point in his correspondence. Leibniz affirms his knowledge of the available sources in a letter to Simon de la Loubère from 1692.