Conference: Orthodoxy, Heresy, and Indifference

The Scope of the Conference

The goal of the conference is to examine the interaction between religion and early modern Western philosophy. While the seventeenth century is known for the intellectual revolution that gradually pushed religious authority aside, philosophers such as Descartes, Spinoza and Locke (and others) were still very much aware of the presence of the Church and its orthodoxy, regardless of the confessional status of their country of residence or their own confessional background. At the same time, early modern publishing culture allowed philosophical ideas to spread rapidly, and even if philosophers were convinced that their ideas were perfectly orthodox, they still had to write in such ways as not to stir up theological controversy, or be deemed a threat to the health of the body of Christ. Some did this with a certain degree of success, others tried, but were still deemed highly unorthodox – or even condemned for promoting heretical ideas. Finally, it is in this period, too, that philosophers found new ways for arguing that their findings were to be seen as religiously neutral forms of knowledge.
 
Participants to the conference are invited to present their views on intellectual tendencies and philosophical texts of the day with a view to elucidating philosophical practices and strategies against the background of potential conflicts with religion. We will consider submissions on any of the early modern philosophers and their texts from the (long) seventeenth century.

Keynote Speakers

Sarah Hutton (University of York)
Theo Verbeek (University of Utrecht)