 [a] is best read as a terse reference to the esoteric mode of presentation. Although this is the way that metaphysics should ideally be written, he thinks that it would be a mistake to publish anything that “conflicts too much with received opinions”. As we have already seen, this is because many people will regard it as absurd, summarily reject it, or misunderstand it entirely (possibly all three at the same time!). Leibniz suggests a strategy of selective omission, not to permanently hide the controversial features of his philosophy, but as part of a longer-term strategy of preparing his readers to understand his most esoteric doctrines. In some cases he thinks that sympathetic readers who study his texts “more profoundly” will be able to infer the esoteric conclusions themselves. In [d] he suggests a complementary strategy of supplementation. In subsequent works he can explicitly draw the conclusions that may have only been implicit in the initial text. Taken collectively Leibniz’s remarks in this passage suggest that the primary function of exoteric texts is pedagogical: they are designed to serve as intellectual stepping stones that enable his readers to gradually move from received opinions to esoteric doctrine.