Eric Walten
Encyclopedia
Eric Walten was a Dutch
Enlightenment
thinker and pamphleteer, notably accused of blasphemy
and of secretly following the philosophical thinking of Benedict Spinoza in the 1690s.
A somewhat obscure young man of whose earliest life little information survives, Walten is known to have been born in what is presently Ham, Germany, although the Dutch scholar Wiep van Bunge suggests that Walten was probably of English
descent.
Though influenced by such iconic Enlightenment
writers as Descartes and Spinoza in his philosophical thought, Walten himself denied the latter as his primary political influence and professed to admire Juan de Mariana
as the greatest writer on the powers and responsibilities of kings.
Walten's fate as a controversialist was sealed when his vigorous defense of Balthasar Bekker
against the various accusations against him invited a legal prosecution on blasphemy
charges against himself. Walten died in prison while awaiting trial.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
thinker and pamphleteer, notably accused of blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
and of secretly following the philosophical thinking of Benedict Spinoza in the 1690s.
A somewhat obscure young man of whose earliest life little information survives, Walten is known to have been born in what is presently Ham, Germany, although the Dutch scholar Wiep van Bunge suggests that Walten was probably of English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
descent.
Though influenced by such iconic Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
writers as Descartes and Spinoza in his philosophical thought, Walten himself denied the latter as his primary political influence and professed to admire Juan de Mariana
Juan de Mariana
Juan de Mariana, also known as Father Mariana , was a Spanish Jesuit priest, Scholastic, historian, and member of the Monarchomachs....
as the greatest writer on the powers and responsibilities of kings.
Walten's fate as a controversialist was sealed when his vigorous defense of Balthasar Bekker
Balthasar Bekker
Balthasar Bekker was a Dutch minister and author of philosophical and theological works. Opposing superstition, he was a key figure in the end of the witchcraft persecutions in early modern Europe.-Life:...
against the various accusations against him invited a legal prosecution on blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
charges against himself. Walten died in prison while awaiting trial.