Leibniz viewed reviews as charitable acts by savants who dedicate part of their time to advancing science and returning it to society. This activity must be disinterested and scientifically honest insofar as it does not bring honor and recognition to the savant. Leibniz was an active reviewer of books for major journals of the time. Does his activity reflect what he says about savants? Through an analysis of a paradigmatic case – his review of John Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding – I argue that, in this case at least, Leibniz used reviews as a scientific tool to instill prejudices in his scientific peers. By «prejudices», I do not mean false judgments about a book but rather precognitions that one must have to critically assess a book's content, which may incline readers to reject the author's arguments.
University of Münster, Germany - ORCID: 0000-0001-8022-4538
Chapter Title
Leibniz and the Function of Book Reviews
Authors
Lucia Oliveri
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0999-1.03
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Philosophical Reviews in German Territories (1668-1799)
Book Subtitle
Volume 2
Editors
Pasquale Terraciano, Francesco Valerio Tommasi
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
282
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0999-1
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0998-4
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0999-1
eISBN (epub)
979-12-215-1060-7
Series Title
Knowledge and its Histories
Series ISSN
3035-5974
Series E-ISSN
3035-5923