Leibniz’s Perception of Ancient Chinese Symbolism

For about half a century, Leibniz showed a strong and lasting interest in China, which is evident in many of his letters, treatises and essays. The imaginary horizon of the ‚Celestial Empire‘ left its mark on the European 17th century. This world, so different and distant, impressed the Enlightenment with the passion of the new and exotic destinations of the mind and, at the same time, complemented the philosophy in Europe with its refined ethical system. Leibniz wondered whether the Chinese may have preserved the remains of a lost ancient logico-mathematical knowledge, which is part of his idea of ars characteristica universalis.