Reijer Hooykaas
Encyclopedia
Reijer Hooykaas was a historian of science. He along with Eduard Jan Dijksterhuis
were pioneers in professionalizing the history of science
in the Netherlands. H. Floris Cohen
dedicated his historiographical text The Scientific Revolution (University of Chicago Press
, 1994) to Hooykaas; its section on religion
deals primarily with Hooykaas.
s. Hooykaas studied chemistry and physics at the University of Utrecht graduating in 1933. While teaching high school chemistry and working on his Ph.D., he published articles on the history of science and religion, which brought his abilities to the attention of other scholars. In 1946 he became the first to hold a history of science chair at a Dutch university. From 1946 to 1972 he was a professor at the Free University of Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit
Amsterdam).
, Robert Boyle
, and Isaac Newton
.
has said that British chemist and historian Colin A. Russell
's Cross-currents: interactions between science and faith (Leicester
, 1985) shares some of Hooykaas's views.
Eduard Jan Dijksterhuis
Eduard Jan Dijksterhuis was a Dutch historian of science.-Career:He studied mathematics at the University of Groningen from 1911 to 1918 and titled his Ph.D. thesis "A Contributions to the Knowledge of the Flat Helicoid." From 1916 to 1953 he was a professor and taught mathematics, physics and...
were pioneers in professionalizing the history of science
History of science
The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....
in the Netherlands. H. Floris Cohen
H. Floris Cohen
- Life :Cohen studied history at the University of Leiden, receiving a Ph.D. in 1974. He is currently a professor in the Comparative History of the Science at the University of Utrecht...
dedicated his historiographical text The Scientific Revolution (University of Chicago Press
University of Chicago Press
The University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals, including Critical Inquiry, and a wide array of...
, 1994) to Hooykaas; its section on religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
deals primarily with Hooykaas.
Life
He was born into a Calvinist family of silversmithSilversmith
A silversmith is a craftsperson who makes objects from silver or gold. The terms 'silversmith' and 'goldsmith' are not synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product varies greatly as does the scale of objects created.Silversmithing is the...
s. Hooykaas studied chemistry and physics at the University of Utrecht graduating in 1933. While teaching high school chemistry and working on his Ph.D., he published articles on the history of science and religion, which brought his abilities to the attention of other scholars. In 1946 he became the first to hold a history of science chair at a Dutch university. From 1946 to 1972 he was a professor at the Free University of Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit
Vrije Universiteit
The Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch name is often abbreviated as VU and in English the university uses the name "VU University". The university is located on a compact urban campus in the southern part of Amsterdam in the Buitenveldert district...
Amsterdam).
Impatience
Hooykaas's impatience with certain modern historical attitudes has been the object of respect and praise. Fellow historian Malcom Oster noted that Hooykaas was "personally irritated" by historians who conclude that early modern scientists with strong religious views must have had "some mental disorder." Examples of such scientists for Hooykaas are Blaise PascalBlaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal , was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic philosopher. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen...
, Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle FRS was a 17th century natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor, also noted for his writings in theology. He has been variously described as English, Irish, or Anglo-Irish, his father having come to Ireland from England during the time of the English plantations of...
, and Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
.
Work
- "Pascal: His Science and His Religion" Tractrix 1, 1989, pp. 115–139. (Translation of "Pascal: Zijn wetenschap en zijn religie", 1939 )
- "Science and Reformation", Journal of World HistoryJournal of World HistoryThe Journal of World History is a refereed scholarly journal that presents historical analysis from a global point-of-view, focusing especially on forces that cross the boundaries of cultures and civilizations, including large-scale population movements, economic fluctuations, transfers of...
, 3(1956): pp. 109–139.
-
In this once-important article defending the Protestantism thesis, Hooykaas shows "how the religious attitude of so-called 'ascetic' Protestantism, which more or less stood under Calvin's influence, furthered the development of science." This article is an acknowledged summary of (and thus has been superseded by) [Religion and the Rise of Modern Science (1972)]
- "Answer to Dr. Bainton's Comment on 'Science and Reformation'", Journal of World HistoryJournal of World HistoryThe Journal of World History is a refereed scholarly journal that presents historical analysis from a global point-of-view, focusing especially on forces that cross the boundaries of cultures and civilizations, including large-scale population movements, economic fluctuations, transfers of...
, 3 (1957), pages 781-784.
- "Answer to Dr. Bainton's Comment on 'Science and Reformation'", Journal of World History
-
Hooykaas defends the connection between Protestantism and the rise of science while distinguishing his position from Weber and Merton regarding economic activity. This short essay has been superseded by [his book Robert Boyle (1997)].
- "Science and Theology in the Middle Ages" Free University Quarterly 3, 1954, pp. 77–163.
- Natural Law and Divine Miracle: The Principle of Uniformity in Geology, Biology, and Theology, Leiden: EJ Brill, 1963
-
Though primarily focusing on discussions in the nineteenth century, the chapter on theology (outlining four different metaphysical positions) is also relevant to earlier debates.
- "Teilhardism, a pseudoscientific delusion" Free University Quarterly 9, 1963, pp. 1–57
- "Teilhardism, its predecessors, adherents and critics" Free University Quarterly 9, 1963, pp. 58–83
- Religion and the Rise of Modern Science, Regent College Publishing, 2000 (Other edition Edinburgh: Scottish Academic PressScottish Academic PressScottish Academic Press is an old Scottish publishing company. It is based in Edinburgh on Brandfield Street.-External links:...
, 1973 [1st Pub. 1972]). ISBN 1-5738-3018-6
-
This book is a systematic and articulate attempt to show the philosophical as well as sociological connections between science and Protestantism in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Hooykaas tends to oversimplify when he categorizes "types" of Christianity and of philosophy. His own theological biases sometimes intrude. But the book remains important for anyone doing work in our field. It is excellent for an introductory discussion of the philosophical issues--and especially as regards the relation of the "voluntaristic doctrine of God" to early modern natural philosophy. Hooykaas examines continental as well as English Calvinists and considers why and how they believed science should be cultivated: (1) to the glory of God and to the benefit of humankind; (2) empirically, in spite of human authorities; and (3) by using our hands. The book is a veritable mine of relevant biblical texts.
- Humanism and the Voyages of Discovery in 16th Century Portuguese Science and Letters, North-Holland Publishing Company, 1979, 67 pages
- "The Rise of Modern Science: When and Why?" British Journal for History of Science 20, 4, 1987, pp. 453–473.
- Robert Boyle: a study in science and Christian belief, University Press of AmericaUniversity Press of AmericaUniversity Press of America is an academic book publisher based in the United States. Part of the independent Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, it was founded in 1975 and boasts of having published "more than 10,000 academic, scholarly, and biographical titles in many disciplines"...
, 1997 ISBN 0-7618-0708-X
-
This work is important but [originally] in Dutch. It has been used as evidence by some scholars advancing the Protestantism-and-the-rise-of-science thesis. Hooykaas describes well Boyle's voluntartistic dotrine of God, his religious motivation and his justification for doing natural philosophy.
- Fact, Faith, and Fiction in the Development of Science, Volume 205 in the Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999, ISBN 0-7923-5774-4
Works compared
The historian and theologian John Hedley BrookeJohn Hedley Brooke
John Hedley Brooke is a British Historian of Science specialising in the relationship between science and religion.-Biography:...
has said that British chemist and historian Colin A. Russell
Colin A. Russell
Colin Archibald Russell is Emeritus Professor of History of Science and Technology at the Open University and is a research scholar affiliated to the History and Philosophy of Science Department, Cambridge University...
's Cross-currents: interactions between science and faith (Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, 1985) shares some of Hooykaas's views.
See also
- Hermeticism (history of science)Hermeticism (history of science)Hermeticism is a historiographical phrase describing the work that attempts to reconstruct the mode of thought held by 17th century scientists. It primarily traces out the connections of Renaissance modes of thought with those of the Scientific Revolution . This type of analysis began with...
- List of science and religion scholars
- The Christian VirtuosoThe Christian VirtuosoThe Christian Virtuoso was one of the last books published by Robert Boyle., who was a champion of his Anglican faith. This book summarised his religious views including his idea of a clock-work universe created by God.-Contents:...