This project will produce the first complete, book-length study of eighteeenth-century Dutch science, filling an important gap in knowledge about science during the Enlightenment. Since the Netherlands was a republic, not a monarchy with its court and aristocratic cultures, the study will help us refine generalizations about scientific culture in early modern Europe. Current views of Dutch science are influenced by a longstanding emphasis on the seventeenth century as the Netherlands' `Golden Age,` followed by what is usually characterized as a period of decline. By embedding a cultural history of science within the context of eighteenth-century Dutch life, this study will develop an appreciation of Dutch scientific activities and achievements that is not predetermined by such value judgments. The study will be organized around the concepts of `utility` and `virtue` both because they were constantly invoked as the guiding ideals of science during the Enlightenment and because their meanings changed constantly. The method to be employed in this project begins with a survey of available primary and secondary literature, followed by archival research. What distinguishes this study from others is its commitment to respect the integrity of science while demonstrating its dynamic relationship to the cultural environment in which it is practiced.
