Wiep van Bunge

From Stevin to Spinoza

Acknowledgements Preface 1. TheHeritage ofHumanism 2. Dutch Cartesianism 3. Cartesian Politics 4. Spinoza: Friends and Foes 5. The Fate of Dutch Spinozism Epilogue: The European Context of Dutch Cartesianism and Spinozism Bibliography Index

Dutch Cartesian Empiricism and the Advent of Newtonianism

At least since Voltaire, the perception of Cartesianism has often suffered from comparison to Newtonianism. In particular, Descartes’ ‘Rationalism’ has been regarded as basically flawed on account of its incompatibility with Newton’s approach to natural philosophy, which was to dominate much of eighteenth-century thought. In this paper it is argued that, on the contrary, both Descartes and some of his most tenacious Dutch admirers did not eschew Empiricism at all, but were actually instrumental in the early dissemination of Newtonianism on the Continent, and at Leiden University in particular.

Spinoza Past and Present

In Spinoza Past and Present Wiep van Bunge explores various aspects of Spinoza’s works and the often conflichting ways in which the Dutch philosopher’s views have been interpreted from the seventeenth century onwards.

Spinoza and the Collegiants

textabstractSince the publication of Meinsma’s Spinoza en zijn kring it is considered a fact that Spinoza was friends with Collegiants such as Simon Joosten de Vries, Pieter Balling and Jarig Jelles. Fokke Akkerman and Piet Steenbakkers have subsequently shown how important Balling and Jelles were as editors and translators of Spinoza’s work, and that they helped him where they could, especially after he had been expelled.

Spinoza’s Life: 1677–1802

ABSTRACT: Immediately after Spinoza’s death in 1677 his first biographers framed a life which would play an important part in the eighteenth-century perception of the Dutch philosopher. Bayle’s entry on Spinoza in the Dictionnaire in particular, together with Jelles’s preface to the Opera posthuma, created the image of a philosopher whose dedication to philosophy was unconditional and whose moral behavior was impeccable. Despite the general hostility which Spinoza’s views continued to meet, his life appears to have contributed considerably to the gradual rediscovery of his works during the dying decades of the eighteenth century, most notably in Germany and the Netherlands.

The Use of the Vernacular in Early Modern Philosophy

Few modern philosophers have determined our understanding of early modern philosophy in the way Hegel has. More in particular, Hegel held highly influential views on the real significance of the language in which Philosophy came into its own after the Middle Ages. In his Lectures on the History of Philosophy Hegel introduced the issue in his paragraph on Luther, who completed his Reformation of Christianity, or so Hegel argued, by rendering the Bible into German, for according to Hegel philosophical self-consciousness can only be achieved in a native language, a language, that is, we can truly call our own.

The Politics of Appropriation: Erasmus and Bayle

Over the centuries, the local elites of Rotterdam have gone out of their way to cultivate the memory of Erasmus. From the sixteenth century onwards to this day, he has been consistently put forward as the city’s greatest son. During the early 1690’s, when Pierre Bayle, “le philosophe de Rotterdam”, was facing dismissal as professor of the Illustrious School of Rotterdam, he launched an attempt to save his position by reminding his employers of his allegiance to Erasmus’ heritage. Although Bayle would be fired just the same, we have every reason to take his Erasmianism seriously. In particular, Bayle’s critical attitude as an historian is reminiscent of Erasmus’ philological stance.

Spinoza and the Netherlands

textabstractMoving to my topic of Spinoza and the Netherlands, two separate questions present themselves: what did the Netherlands mean to Spinoza, and reversely, what did Spinoza mean to the Netherlands?

Scholarly spinozism in the Netherlands and Flanders ["Geleerd" spinozisme in Nederland en Vlaanderen, 1945-2000]

In this essay an attempt is made to sketch the main trends of post war Spinozascholarship in the Low Countries. The recent surge of interest in Spinozism is demonstrated to be rooted in an earlier revival, that started in the late 1960s and was led by the Groningen philosopher and theologian Huib Hubbeling and the Louvain philosopher Herman De Dijn. Wim Klevers contribution is analyzed as well. Special attention is paid to the subsequent development of twentieth-century scholarship in the Netherlands and Flanders and the differences of opinion among the main experts. Finally, the absence of a shared orthodoxy is reflected upon.

Spinoza on the Politics of the Passions

Both Spinozas replacement of the Cartesian ego by the notion of an all-inclusive substance called ‘Deus sive Natura’ and his analysis of mans passionate life seem to question the relevance of the distinction between the public and private spheres. His emphasis on the need to establish powerful states, however, including his insistence on the necessity to demand obedience to the laws of the land, implies a recognition of the wisdom to uphold constitutional boundaries between the public and the private. According to Spinoza, freedom demands the execution of force by the political authorities, and private sentiments the expression of which may be harmful to the public good should not be tolerated.