What to expect when you're expecting early modern French and Dutch philosophy
As promised I would now like to share the list of planned episodes for the podcast’s coverage of early modern (meaning, 17-18th century) philosophy. Actually this is only the list for the first of three series, on France and the Netherlands, with a side trip to Southern Europe. This will become the material for a volume in the book series. There will be two more series, and books, on philosophy in the same period in Britain (plus Ireland and maybe the early USA) and in Germany (plus Eastern Europe, Scandinavia). The first episode will air on February 2, and these episodes will continue to appear in alternating weeks along with the China series.
I’d like to thank several colleagues who gave me advice on the list and also the many listeners who made suggestions on this thread here in the blog:
https://www.historyofphilosophy.net/what-to-cover-17-18-centuries
The input here was incredibly useful and I have incorporated lots of the suggestions into the list. Of course it will change a bit as I go along and read the vast scholarship on this period, and of course there will as always be interviews which are not included here. If you’re looking for a particular name, especially one that was suggested in the above thread, it is probably in the notes I’ve already been keeping for each episode (most of the thematic episodes have a list of thinkers attached to them) but this is a bit messy so I haven’t included all the names here.
Thanks to all for your continued enthusiasm, I hope you are as excited about this new adventure as I am!
Early Modern Philosophy in France and the Low Countries
17th Century
Introduction to Early Modern Philosophy
Historical Introduction to France and the Low Countries
Mersenne and the Republic of Letters
René Descartes: Life and Works
Descartes’ Mathematics and Physics
Descartes’ Skeptical Method
Cartesian Dualism
Descartes, Medicine, and the Passions
Descartes and Ethics
Descartes and Elisabeth of Bohemia
Debating the Meditations
Descartes’ Influence across Europe
Cartesianism and the querelle des femmes
Cartesianism and science
French Skepticism
Pierre Gassendi: Life and Works
Atomism in Gassendi and Basso
Gassendi’s Influence across Europe
The French Moralists
Blaise Pascal
Antoine Arnauld and Jansenism
French Scholasticism
Port Royal Logic
Nicolas Malebranche: Life and Works
Malebranche and Occasionalism
Malebranche’s Theory of Mind
Freedom and Evil
The French Garden
Quietism: Madame Guyon and Fénelon
Pierre Bayle and the Encyclopedia
Atheism in France and the Low Countries
Dutch Humanism
Dutch Capitalism and Economic Theory
Dutch Political Philosophy
Hugo Grotius: Legal Philosophy
Grotius’ Political Philosophy
Dutch University Culture
Dutch Science
Optics and Automata
Anna Maria van Schurmann
Dutch Freethinkers
Baruch Spinoza: Life and Works
Spinoza’s Metaphysics
Spinoza’s Moral Psychology
Spinoza on Politics
Spinoza on Teligion
Adherents of Spinozism
Critics of Spinozism
Interlude: Southern Europe
Italian Enlightenment
Women in the Italian Enlightenment
Jewish Philosophy
Giulio Cesare Vanini
Italian Economic and Legal Thought
Philosophy of History
Giambattista Vico
Cesare Beccaria
Spanish Enlightenment
Velasquez
The Lisbon Earthquake
18th Century
Historical Introduction
Women and Salon Culture
Émilie du Châtelet
French Legal Theories
Radical Enlightenment: Helvetius, d’Holbach, etc
Materialism
Perfume (Chemistry and Hygiene)
Introduction to the Philosophes
Montesquieu
Voltaire
Émilie du Châtelet
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Life and Works
Rousseau and the Social Contract
Denis Diderot and the Encyclopédie
Mathematics and Probability
French Aesthetics
Libertinism: Crébillon, Diderot, de Sade etc.
De Condillac (1714-1780)
The Physiocrats
Condorcet
Sophie de Grouchy
Olympe de Gouges
Early Socialist Thought: Sylvain Maréchal etc.
In reply to Wow! I'm looking forward to this series by Spencer
Wow can't believe this is…
Wow can't believe this is finally happening!
Btw, out of interest, why are you doing 17th AND 18th century in one go, instead of doing 17th for three regions, and then 18th? Presentation is disjointed already, for obvious objective reasons, but in this way it is even more so? (I guess this could be remedied though cross references etc.).
Good luck!
In reply to Wow can't believe this is… by Nedim
17th/18th
Several reasons: first a practical one, which is that it seemed to me that I would need to have three books come out of this period, and splitting it into 17th and 18th would instead give me two huge chunks too long to be books, or six chunks (each geographical region one century at a time) that would be rather on the short side.
Second, I don't really see a nice historical break around 1700. Maybe you could argue for that but basically this is the story of the Enlightenment from beginnings until the eve of the French Revolution which is a clear landmark event; I'm toying with the idea that what would come after these three series would be one series on all of Europe about philosophy in the Age of Revolutions (so up to mid-19th century). But if you think about, say, the Philosophes, it makes lots of sense to tackle them right after having discussed Malebranche, Spinoza and Bayle. So I think this will bring out the continuity of French/Dutch philosophy in this period.
Third, I just thought it would be more interesting this way, to divide the material geographically rather than by century. After all geography is politically and culturally relevant whereas centuries are just arbitrary numbers.
You're right that any way of doing it requires cross-references -- "by the way while this was going on, over in Germany" -- but this would be true no matter how I approached it given that there is so much happening all over Europe at the same time.
This looks absolutely…
This looks absolutely formidable ! I'm looking forward to this series a lot !
I'm very honoured to be the first listener to tell you you've put du Chatelet twice in the 18th century section :P
Since I gave some suggestions earlier in the other blog post, allow me just to ask a few questions as to whether you've included some of them ; will you discuss French classical aesthetics (eg Boileau) somewhere ? maybe at least incidentally when talking about 18th century aesthetics ? or is it hidden somewhere behind the enigmatic "the French garden" (Boyceau?) title ?
Also, what about preciosity and de Scudéry ? Will that be covered in the salon culture episode, since culturally it spans both centuries ? or will de Scudéry more specifically be covered in the freedom and evil episode ?
Otherwise, I find it interesting that there are more episodes planned on Gassendi or Malebranche than on Rousseau. I would have expected the opposite !
Thanks for all your hard work and happy holidays !
very exciting. One possible…
very exciting. One possible error: Émilie du Châtelet's name passes two times.
French Revolution
This looks like a very promising list! I’m very much looking forward to listening to this series! One question: As far as I can see, there are only two episode on intellectuals of the revolutionary period (de Gouges and Maréchal). But there are no episodes on the thoughts of major political figures like e.g. Sieyes or on the Jacobin ideology of St-Just and Robespierre nor a general episode on how the Revolution changed French philosophical life. I suspect you don’t skip these subjects, but you decided to postpone the Revolution to the possible “Philosophy in the Age of Revolutions” series? The latter seems to make a lot of sense to me, by the wayss! Also the idea of a “Philosophy in the Age of Revolutions” encompassing all of Europe (and North America?) seems great. If there’ll to be too much material, perhaps another way to divide European (and North American?) philosophy of the long 19th century would maybe three volumes, covering 1790-1825/1830, 1825/1830-1870 and 1870-1914 respectively (although obviously you still have a long time to decide)?
In reply to French Revolution by Bernese
French Revolution
Yes you have anticipated the answer: in fact I originally wanted to have this series conclude with the Revolution but then realized it would just be too many episodes. Then I had the idea of a future series on Philosophy in the Age of Revolutions which is, firstly, a great title, and secondly, might be more coherent for listeners/readers, like if you start from the American and French Revolutions and go up to 1848... or whenever. Actually can you explain the rationale behind your suggested dividing dates there? Why 1830 and 1870? Sorry, it's probably obvious but I am not seeing it immediately. The July Revolution for 1830, maybe, and the Franco-Prussian war for 1870? (I do get why 1914 though!)
In reply to French Revolution by Peter Adamson
Dividing the 19th century
Well, this time it’s not obvious, more a spontaneous idea of mine. Some historians of the 19th century use such breaks. For example, Jürgen Osterhammel distinguished in his “Die Verwandlung der Welt” between “Sattelzeit”, “(Hoch-)Viktorianismus” and “fin de siècle” (although he made the break in 1880, not 1870), and Eric Hobsbawm made a break in 1875.
My reasioning was as follows:
-1820ies: here one could differentiate between the thinker directly active in the upheaval of the Atlantic Revolutions and the Napoleonic Revolution (including its immediate aftermath with the reaction in form of – well – the reaction), and the more steady pace of the rest of the 19th century, where the impact of the wars and revolutions that happened was much more moderate. At the end of the 1820ies figures like Hegel and Goethe die. In Germany and France more conservative anti-Napoleonic romanticism gets replaced by more democratic one (think of the difference between the Wartburgfest and the Hombacher Fest or between Chateaubriand and Victor Hugo). 19th century liberalism and radicalism begin. Over in the US, the age of mass politics starts with the election of Andrew Jackson. Although if I think of it, most developments (in continental Europe) continue traditions of the revolutionary age with a new bend. So if you can pack it all in one book, maybe going all the way until 1848 is better after all.
-1870ies: The main point would be the beginning of the second industrial Revolution which had huge economic, social, environmental and cultural impact. 20th-century mass society gets formed. Specifically in 1871 the German Empire and the third French Republic get formed (with the Paris commune as the last Parisian Revolution taking place) and the unification of Italy is completed. In the US the mid-19th century-story could end with the aftermath of the Civil War. Also in the 1880ies European Imperalism goes in overdrive with notably the partition of Africa. On the more philosophical side, after 1870 Friedrich Nietzsche starts to publish and shortly thereafter Gottlob Frege. For socialism one could differ between Karl Marx himself (as well as people like Proudhon Kroptkin, Lassalle) as more 19th century thinkers, and the Marxist intellectual tradition, which formed parts of movements built around powerful and well-organized political parties.
Anyways I’m just an amateur and this was more kind of an idea for further thought and discussion with actual experts of 19th century thought. Writing down this answer, I also wasn’t so sure anymore how good it is. Probably dividing it right in the middle of the century would actually be better, although bringing everything from 1790 until 1850 in all of Europe and North Amercia to “just” 70-80 episodes looks rather though to me (the same goes even more for 1850-1914).
athanasius kircher
what about athanasius kircher? I think he is quite important.
In reply to athanasius kircher by mehmet
Kircher
Oh yes for sure, he's on my list! But would come in the Germany series, not this first one on France and the Netherlands.
In reply to Kircher by Peter Adamson
Oh, ok. I thought you'll be…
Oh, ok. I thought you'll be done with the catholics in this france/italy/spain series, and this guy Kircher was catholic..
In reply to Oh, ok. I thought you'll be… by mehmet
Kircher
Well the division is not confessional, it's geographic. So Catholics active in Germany (like here in Catholic Bavaria where I live!) would be in that series.
Jesuit China Missions via Southern Europe Interlude
Since your Interlude series on Southern Europe is quite small, I suggest you make an additional episode on Jesuit Chinese Missions as your followup on Ricci back in episode 440.
This time covering Confucius Sinarum Philosophus
Also under Jewish Philosophy, I hope you cover Isaac Orobio de Castro in that heading.
3 notes
Note for late, for Socialists you might want to extend to Simonde de Sismondi, who was 1773-1842, just because he is very notable and there might not be a better spot to put him in.
On Rousseau, once you get to Hobbes, can you do an episode or interview on "was Rousseau a Hobbsian, anti-Hobbsian, or neither?" because that question seems to be contentious yet interesting.
Finally, glad you are using a historical event (French Revolution) rather than the century marker as i think it makes for a cleaner break
Looking forward to the series!
In reply to 3 notes by Alexander Johnson
Notes
Great thanks! I have made a note on Sismondi in my episode list.
The idea about Rousseau is interesting but not sure it would make so much sense given that I won't have covered Hobbes yet? And there are so many ways I could approach him in an interview; it will also depend on who I can get as a guest of course.
Absence of d'alembert…
Absence of d'alembert surprised me. In a more general note, I believe that the encyclopedists deserve more episodes.
In reply to I think uriel da costa… by mehmet
Da Costa
Ok thanks for the tip! D'Alembert is mentioned in passing in today's new episode as it happens; I was going to cover him properly in the episode on mathematics and probability.
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Wow! I'm looking forward to this series
Wow! I am looking forward to this series. A lot!
Peter, I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you (and to quite a few other history podcasters) for your efforts. You and your fellow podcasters have enriched my life enormously.
Happy Holidays and best wishes for a fruitful 2025!
Spencer