The Dutch Republic proved to be remarkably receptive to Newton’s ideas. Dutch scholars such as Herman Boerhaave and Willem Jacob ‘s Gravesande played a crucial role in the dissemination of Newton’s work, both in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe. In the course of the eighteenth century, Newton’s ideas (in different guises and interpretations) became a veritable hype in Dutch society.
So far, surprisingly little research has been performed to explain Newton’s sudden success in the Netherlands. To address this and other topics focusing on what is vaguely described as ‘newtonianism’, a three-day conference is organized in Leiden by Museum Boerhaave, the Huygens Instituut (KNAW, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences), Nadine Akkerman (Pallas Institute /ICD, Leiden University), and Pete Langman (Goldsmiths College).