ABSTRACT
Gottfried Wilhelm Von Leibniz was born and raised in academe. His father was a professor of moral philosophy at the University of Leipzig, and his mother was the daughter of a law professor at the same institution. His advance was prodigious: At 15, he began his study of the history of philosophy at the university; at 17, after defending his thesis, he proceeded to the University of Jena where he studied mathematics and law; at 18, he published his treatise on law; and at 20, he was ready to present himself as a candidate for the doctor of law degree, but he was declared too young. So he moved to the University of Altdorf, where he not only received his doctoral degree but was offered a professorship. He declined this invitation and settled into a position with Johann Philipp von Schönborn, elector of Mainz.
