Leibniz’s cooperation with Johann Christian von Boineburg: the case of Spinoza
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article presents a case study of the young Leibniz’s collaboration with Johann Christian von Boineburg in the domain of philosophy. Drawing on Boineburg’s correspondence and personal library, it reconstructs in detail their joint project – undertaken between October 1670 and mid-1672 – to refute Spinoza’s Tractatus theologico-politicus. By taking Boineburg’s scholarly initiatives into account, the study sheds light on Leibniz’s early engagement with Spinoza, revealing that Boineburg responded to the book with hostility, whereas Leibniz adopted a more measured and appreciative stance towards both the Tractatus and its author. During the discussion, the study advances the state of research on several fronts. It argues that Leibniz’s Commentatiuncula de judice controversiarum predates the Tractatus and, consequently, contrary to previous assumptions, does not constitute a response to it. The study identifies two specific dates – 3 October 1670 and 4 October 1671 – on which Boineburg and Leibniz clarified the details of their opposition to Spinoza during personal meetings. It increases the number of marginal notes Leibniz inscribed in Boineburg’s copy of the Tractatus by three and offers a coherent interpretation of these annotations.
Source: Intellectual History Review
Author: Gábor Gángó
Language: English
Subfield: Philosophy
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funders: Universität Erfurt, Max Weber Stiftung
OpenAlex ID: W7161702997