Heretics!: The Wondrous (and Dangerous) Beginnings of Modern Philosophy

Review "Honorable Mention for the 2018 PROSE Award in Philosophy, Association of American Publishers""2017 Bronze Winner in Philosophy, ForeWord Reviews? INDIES Book of the Year Awards""Winner of a 2018 Outstanding Achievement Title Award, Wisconsin Library Association Literary Awards""As the title suggests, this book seldom has a dull moment. . . . In the bright panels that lay out a who's who of European philosophers [Heretics!] adopts a very simple but beautiful visual and textual format. . . . It?s a wonderful addition to the tradition of graphic nonfiction, and readers should be able to breeze through it." ? Publishers Weekly"What's not to like? Philosopher Steven Nadler and illustrator Ben Nadler have crafted an absolute gem of a science history, capturing with gravitas and zing the abstruse musings of René Descartes on mind-body dualism, John Locke on empiricist epistemology, and more."---Barbara Kiser, Nature"Bring[s] both entertainment and enlightenment to the subject of how modern philosophical thought challenged the church's doctrine on the relationship between God and man and led to democratic challenges to monarchy and the divine right of kings. . . . Nimbly advance[s] through a little more than a century in fewer than 200 pages, presenting a primer that can instruct those new to the period while serving as a refresher for readers who have forgotten what they studied in history and philosophy." ? Kirkus"A quick introduction to the basic figures and concepts of modern philosophy as it was developed in the 17th century. René Descartes, Francis Bacon, Baruch Spinoza, and other philosophers pop up to discuss, and sometimes argue, about the nature of matter, the existence of God, mind-body dualism, the structure of society, and even the existence of knowledge itself. The authors use quotes from the philosophers themselves and quickly place them in historical context, and the lively illustrations keep the narrative from getting bogged down."---Brigid Alverson, School Library Journal"Being a philosopher in the 17th century was a dangerous career choice. At odds with the Catholic church, Western philosophy found itself in a precarious position that would sometimes end in violence. Written by the father-son team Steven and Ben Nadler, the comic book aims to turn the trials of early scientific thought into a riveting graphic narrative. With the help of colorful illustrations and jokes, the duo is able to make complicated philosophical ideas easier to digest for a larger group of readers as well as offer up plenty of drama." ? Mental Floss"A remarkable new book. . . . Thanks to Princeton, we now have philosophy delivered in graphic form. . . . The Nadlers, father and son, have given us an informed but light-hearted look at the heaviest subjects: God, man and the cosmos. It's engaging, like much graphic work, and altogether accessible."---Robert Fulford, National Post"The art is the best thing about Heretics!, which traces the connections among influential 17th-century European philosophers. Most of the book's humor comes from the relationship between the lofty ideas expressed and the goofy situations."---Book Riot, "Heretics! is an excellent read that will not only teach you a bit about modern philosophy, but will also put a smile on your face. . . . I recommend this graphic novel to anyone interested in learning a bit more about the history of modern philosophy that doesn't involve delving into tomes like Meditations, Ethics, or Leviathan."---Comic Bastards, "Fascinating."---Hemant Mehta, Friendly Atheist, "With its delightful visuals and simplistic way of presenting complex topics, Heretics! has what it takes to become a classic, or even better yet--pioneer a new literary genre. It's extremely rare to come across a book that?s innovative in form as well as in content, but I think Heretics! just deserves those accolades. Masterfully mixing a comic book style with complex notions from science and philosophy, Heretics! m