By Lottie Tupholme

Why would I choose to read a book that wasn’t even on the preparatory reading list for Professor Lamarque’s “Leibniz and Spinoza” module? I wish I could say I was being exceptionally studious, but no, my mum bought it for me (for my birthday no less) as an “improving read”, knowing I was studying the two philosophers during Easter term. I opened it with a sense of trepidation. It looked somewhat daunting, especially when I started reading it: I hadn’t started the course and had no idea what these two rationalist philosophers were about. However, Stewart’s accessible style immediately put my mind at ease. “The Courtier and The Heretic” is not written like a standard Philosophy text i.e. with a tendency towards off-putting, complicated jargon, despite coming from a philosopher who gained his doctorate at Oxford; instead it is an inviting read, which seems to capture the characters of Leibniz and Spinoza perfectly.

For me, knowing something of the thinkers I’m studying really helps understand the motivation and content of the ideas they expound. The real success of Stewart’s book is that it paints a vivid picture of the two philosophers, and describes in arresting detail their philosophical journeys. An image of Leibniz, who was particularly fond of wearing “an exceptionally long black wig that always warmed his prematurely bald dome” always brings a smile to my face when his concepts of monads and possible worlds are getting a little too much. Similarly Stewart’s description of Spinoza’s excommunication and later life spent grinding optical lenses and working on his monumental Ethics helped me better understand just how revolutionary his ideas were.

Stewart manages to present a perfect balance of historical information, amusing anecdotes on the philosophers and detailed accounts of their theories. Hearing about Leibniz’s constant desire for money and love of Paris and Spinoza’s almost ascetic lifestyle is fitted in carefully with accounts of the development of his theories. What Stewart does particularly well is describe the interaction between the two philosophers- not only in terms of the contrasts in their works but also their one-time meeting in the Hague which seemed to have a much more profound effect upon Leibniz than it did Spinoza.

This book is definitely worth a read, regardless of whether you’re working on a “Leibniz and Spinoza” essay over the Easter break or just have cursory interest in rationalist philosophy. It’s immediately absorbing and delivers the key concepts in a frank and easy-to-grasp manner. I can only appeal to Matthew Stewart to write a book like this for all my modules this year!