The Courtier and the Heretic: Leibniz, Spinoza, and the Fate of God in the Modern World
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.50 (900 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0393058980 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-08-31 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Ultimately, the two thinkers represent radically different approaches to the challenges of the modern era. “A colorful reinterpretation. Stewart’s wit and profluent prose make this book a fascinating read.”Publishers Weekly, starred review Philosophy in the late seventeenth century was a dangerous business. Yet the wildly ambitious genius Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who denounced Spinoza in public, became privately obsessed with Spinoza's ideas, wrote him clandestine letters, and ultimately met him in secret. "In refreshingly lucid terms" (Booklist) Matthew Stewart "rescues both men from a dusty academic shelf, bringing them to life as enlightened humans" (Library Journal) central to the religious, political, and personal battles that gave birth to the modern age. No careerist could afford to know the reclusive, controversial philosopher Baruch de Spinoza. Both men put their faith in the guidance of reason, but one spent his life defending a God he may not have believed in, while the other believed in a God who did n
"A Fascinating Book" according to Amazon Customer. This book fascinated me by telling a story of an intellectual connection between two of the greatest thinkers of our time in a way that makes it apparent that the connection and the debate between the two men is really the personification of the debate between the Age of Faith and the Age of Reason that is . Great introduction to both Spinoza and Leibnitz The author strikes a balance between biography and philosophy of these great men. The storytelling is also very entertaining.Maybe Somewhat repetitive, but complicated ideas worth elaborating more than once.Recommended for those who found Ethics too tough, and want some preparatory reading before making ano. doug korty said Esoteric but intelligent and well written. To be honest, this sort of subject is something I find esoteric and overly intellectual. However, the book is well done and intelligent as far as I can tell. There are quite a few very articulate reviews here already and I won't try to add to those. If this is a subject that interests you, I recommend the b
Leibniz, on the other hand, spent the rest of his life championing God and theocracy like a defense lawyer defending a client he knows is guilty. He elaborated a metaphysics that was, at bottom, a reaction to Spinoza and collapses into Spinozism, as Stewart deftly shows. In November 1676, the foppish courtier Leibniz, "the ultimate insider an orthodox Lutheran from conservative Germany," journeyed to The Hague to visit the self-sufficient, freethinking Spinoza, "a double exile an apostate Jew from licentious Holland." A prodigious polymath, Lei