Leibniz was a great contrast to Spinoza.
Leibniz was a very outgoing individual, traveled a great deal, served as a diplomat, and was honored in a great variety of countries.
He also invented calculus, but was unaware that Newton had already done so.
He was offered a professorship at age 21, but he turned it down to be a man of the world.
Leibniz' philosophy was written in his spare time in the form of short papers.
The reality is that he published very little but wrote voluminous correspondence internationally. These letters of correspondence are most important in the study of Leibniz and his work.
His great works include "Monadology", "Discourse on Metaphysics" and "New Essays Concerning Human Understanding."
