Suchergebnisse

"This is the first English translation of the 'Prolegomena iuris naturalis' by Gottfried Achenwall (1719-1772). In this book, Achenwall presents the philosophical foundation for his comprehensive theory of natural law. The book is of interest not only because it provides the basis for a careful, systematic, and well-respected eighteenth-century theory of natural law in the Leibniz-Wolffian tradition, but also because it sheds important light on the work of Immanuel Kant. Achenwall's work influenced Kant's legal and political philosophy as well as his ethics, and it is indispensable for understanding Kant's 'Feyerabend Lectures on Natural Law' and his 'Metaphysics of Morals'. The present volume complements the translation of Achenwall's handbook, 'Natural Law'."--Jacket

On 9 January 1632, at the inauguration of the Amsterdam Illustrious School - the predecessor of the city's university - Caspar Barlaeus delivered a speech that has continued to arouse the curiosity of researchers and the general public alike: Mercator sapiens. This famous oration on the wise merchant is now considered a key text of the Dutch Golden Age. At the same time it is surrounded by misunderstandings regarding Barlaeus himself, the nascent Illustrious School, and Amsterdam's merchant culture. This volume presents the first English translation and the first critical edition of the Mercator sapiens, preceded by an introduction providing historical context and a fresh interpretation of this intriguing text.Anna-Luna Post and Corinna Vermeulen shed new light on the roles of humanist scholarship and rhetoric in Holland's metropolis. Caspar Barlaeus's 1632 oration, The Wise Merchant, has often been cited but seldom read. Their edition, translation and introduction set the work into its historical context with learning, clarity and economy. - Anthony Grafton

Rudolph Agricola: Six Lives and Erasmus's Testimonies The Frisian humanist Rudolph Agricola (1443-1485) is rightly famous for single-handedly bringing the Italian Renaissance to the North. Owing to his fascinating personality and many talents, he attracted the love and admiration of his contemporaries and the following generations. As a result, six biographies on Agricola have been preserved. The authors of these lives drew their materials from different sources and wrote their texts independently from each other. Differing vastly in rhetorical aims and methods, they provide us with a vivid image of cultural and intellectual life in the 15th century. Erasmus praised Agricola's work throughout his writings. No less than fifty testimonies from Erasmus and his correspondents are presented here.
This edition of sources supplements the volume of Agricola's letters (BLN, 2002) and is preceded by an expert survey of all biographical information now at our disposal. Thus it fills a gap in our knowledge of a great man of letters, while correcting a number of persistent misconceptions (concerning the year of Agricola's birth, for instance).