Stewart earned his BA in Philosophy in 1984 from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he studied with David Hoy.
He received his MA in 1986 and his PhD in 1992 from the University of California, San Diego, where he studied with Robert B. Pippin, Frederick A. Olafson and Henry Allison.
From 2007-2017 he was the editor-in-chief of the now completed series, Kierkegaard Research: Sources, Reception and Resources (Aldershot: Ashgate 2007-2015; New York: Routledge 2016-2017).
Reitzel 2007) and A History of Hegelianism in Golden Age Denmark, Tome II, The Martensen Period: 1837-1842 (Copenhagen: C.A.
These studies constituted the most detailed investigations into the influence of Hegel's philosophy on Danish Golden Age culture.