{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in Critical Theory","slug":"new-books-in-critical-theory-962622","podcast_index_feed_id":962622,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/LIT8251633117","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/politics-society/critical-theory/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/2bb9f934-ef86-11e8-8d0f-63a25e571335/image/abfb67777e548da6b9f81c74ecfb67a9.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":2248,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622"},"episode":{"title":"Audrey Borowski, \"Leibniz in His World: The Making of a Savant\" (Princeton UP, 2026)","slug":"audrey-borowski-leibniz-in-his-world-the-making-of-a-savant-princeton-up-2026","published_at":"2026-04-17T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622/audrey-borowski-leibniz-in-his-world-the-making-of-a-savant-princeton-up-2026","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622","url":"https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK9326311214.mp3?updated=1776230972","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK9326311214.mp3?updated=1776230972","summary":"Described by Voltaire as “perhaps a man of the most universal learning in Europe,” Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) is often portrayed as a rationalist and philosopher who was wholly detached from the worldly concerns of his fellow men. Leibniz in His World: The Making of a Savant (Princeton UP, 2026) provides a groundbreaking reassessment of Leibniz, telling the story of his trials and tribulations as an aspiring scientist and courtier navigating the learned and courtly circles of early modern Europe and the Republic of Letters.Drawing on extensive correspondence by Leibniz and many leading figures of the age, Audrey Borowski paints a nuanced portrait of Leibniz in the 1670s, during his “Paris sojourn” as a young diplomat and in Germany at the court of Duke Johann Friedrich of Hanover. She challenges the image of Leibniz as an isolated genius, revealing instead a man of multiple identities whose thought was shaped by a deep engagement with the social and intellectual milieus of his time. Borowski shows us Leibniz as he was known to his contemporaries, enabling us to rediscover him as an enigmatic young man who was complex and all too human.An exhilarating work of scholarship, Leibniz in His World demonstrates how this uncommon intellect, torn between his ideals and the necessity to work for absolutist states, struggled to make a name for himself during his formative years. Audrey Borowski is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow and Isaac Newton Trust Fellow at the University of Cambridge working on the philosophy of AI. She received her PhD from the University of Oxford and is a regular contributor to The Times Literary Supplement and Aeon. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cult…","meta_description":"Described by Voltaire as “perhaps a man of the most universal learning in Europe,” Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) is often portrayed as a rationali…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3671,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622/episodes/audrey-borowski-leibniz-in-his-world-the-making-of-a-savant-princeton-up-2026/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622/audrey-borowski-leibniz-in-his-world-the-making-of-a-savant-princeton-up-2026.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}