re Ian's recollection: >didn't Grotius hail from the same parts as Spinoza a generation or two b4 ? I see that the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, Faculty of Philosophy offers a course on both of them in the context of "Protestant proto-capitalism." >Political Theory in the Dutch Golden Age: Hugo Grotius to Spinoza and >Mandeville (VW2X27) > >Interest in early-modern Dutch political thought is growing rapidly among >political philosophers and historians of ideas, both within the >Netherlands and abroad. Study of Spinoza, Grotius and the Dutch natural >jurists has led to a growing awareness of the fact that their specifically >Dutch background merits the interest of scholars looking for significant >patterns in the international development and spread of political ideas. >Dutch international circles lived by their international contacts - >absorbing, re-invigorating and disseminating important concepts and >theories during the turbulent 200 years preceding the final collapse of >the `ancient régime' in 1795. The course will focus on three themes >running through the writings of the political thinkers: human nature in >politics, and the relationship between morality and politics; religion, >economics and tolerance in Protestant proto-capitalism; the popular >element in political rule and the origins of people's sovereignty. Chris Burford
