Descartes in debat met Voetius. De mislukte introductie van het cartesianisme aan de Utrechtse universiteit (1639-1645)

Abstract

The debate between Descartes and Voetius. The failed introduction of Cartesianism in the university of Utrecht (1639-1645)

The debate between Descartes and Voetius has been described by many authors before. Nevertheless, we are justified in taking another look at it, because in doing so we can get an answer to the question why the introduction of Cartesianism failed in Utrecht while it succeeded in Leiden. We show that the social and institutional conditions in Utrecht, which made it possible for orthodox protestants to have a direct influence on the university, in addition to Descartes's misconception of the nature of tolerance in the Dutch Republic, explain his failure in Utrecht. Under different institutional conditions, and with a strategy of accomodation instead of confrontation, the Cartesians in Leiden succeeded where Descartes had failed. In the end, therefore, it was not Descartes, but his one-time defender in Utrecht, Regius, who was the real loser in the debate.