Intellectual history and Dutch cartesianism

Abstract

Abstract My personal interest in an International Society for Intellectual History is determined by my interest in Dutch Cartesianism. The history of this phenomenon is essentially that of the transformation of a non-academic philosophy into an academic philosophy, which means a history of how concepts change through and in the confrontation with the institutional and political religious) contingencies of a certain period in Dutch history. Moreover, Cartesianism developed into a cultural phenomenon with a strong impact on religion, politics, and literature. I think this makes it an ideal subject of intellectual history and consequently an ideal focus for an international conference in intellectual history.