In Praise of Ambiguity presents a discourse about the seriousness of play. Erasmus and Huizinga are its main characters, their books In Praise of Folly (1511) and Homo Ludens (1938) its main... Show moreIn Praise of Ambiguity presents a discourse about the seriousness of play. Erasmus and Huizinga are its main characters, their books In Praise of Folly (1511) and Homo Ludens (1938) its main subject. It treats those books as contemporaries and asks what they still have to say to us. The main theme of both books is the contrast between two attitudes of life: the conviction that each subject has two or more sides as opposed to the certainty that there is always only one side to the matter. It is relativism versus essentialism, play versus seriousness. In these times of populism and fundamentalism the relationship between play and seriousness is more significant than ever. Erasmus and Huizinga conceived a compromise as brilliant as it was paradoxical: turn seriousness into play, play into seriousness. Their solution is the life blood of literature. Literature is always paradoxical, always ‘true’ and ‘not true’ at the same time, both reality and fiction. Ambiguity is its home territory. Literature is the best answer to the purity and peremptoriness of prophets. Show less
Leiden University was founded as an institution that would embody a particular set of academic ethics that sought to improve society through the acquisition of knowledge. In this book, author... Show moreLeiden University was founded as an institution that would embody a particular set of academic ethics that sought to improve society through the acquisition of knowledge. In this book, author Willem Otterspeer draws on the idea of Leiden as a ‘bastion of liberty’ and proposes that concepts such as ‘equilibrium’ and ‘scale’ are key to understanding the university as an institution, ultimately showing how universities are a form of social capital, one of Western society’s answers to the dilemma of collective action, and an instrument for preserving and restoring continuity in the world. The Bastion of Liberty offers a complete overview of the history of the University of Leiden since 1575 and therefore covers more than four centuries of the development of this nowadays internationally renowned academic institution. Show less
This is the story of four centuries during which Leiden University shared the fate of the Netherlands, and became representative of the most important advances in academic research. At the same... Show moreThis is the story of four centuries during which Leiden University shared the fate of the Netherlands, and became representative of the most important advances in academic research. At the same time it is a declaration of adoration to one of Europe’s most leading international universities. On 28 December 1574, William of Orange wrote a letter to the States General of the provinces of Holland and Zeeland from the town of Middelburg. He came to the representatives with a proposal, a dream actually, with the plan for founding ‘a good, gratifying and renowned school or university’. This letter would become the first document in the archives of Leiden University, offering an apt title for this concise history. Show less
'Edele wijse discrete lieve besundere,’ zo luidde de aanvang van de brief die Willem van Oranje op 28 december 1574 vanuit Middelburg aan de Staten van Holland en Zeeland schreef. Hij deed er het... Show more'Edele wijse discrete lieve besundere,’ zo luidde de aanvang van de brief die Willem van Oranje op 28 december 1574 vanuit Middelburg aan de Staten van Holland en Zeeland schreef. Hij deed er het voorstel in om een universiteit op te richten. Het zou het eerste archiefstuk worden van de Leidse universiteit. Aan die brief ontleende Willem Otterspeer de titel voor deze beknopte geschiedenis. Het is het verhaal van vier eeuwen, waarin de universiteit van Leiden de lotgevallen van Nederland deelde en representatief was voor de belangrijkste ontwikkelingen in de wetenschap. Het is tegelijk ook een beetje een liefdesverklaring aan een van de mooiste instellingen op aarde. Show less
Is het bedrijven van wetenschap altijd een rationeel proces? Feitenkennis is onontbeerlijk in het academisch bedrijf, maar wetenschap is geen enkele emotie vreemd. Al wordt er in de... Show moreIs het bedrijven van wetenschap altijd een rationeel proces? Feitenkennis is onontbeerlijk in het academisch bedrijf, maar wetenschap is geen enkele emotie vreemd. Al wordt er in de kennissamenleving steeds meer nadruk gelegd op rationele vaardigheden, toch spelen emoties een niet te verwaarlozen rol in het publieke debat. In Ratio & emotie, verwoord en verbeeld gaan verschillende wetenschappers de confrontatie aan met de begrippen ratio en emotie bezien van vanuit hun eigen vakgebied. Met verwijzing naar objecten uit de Bijzondere Collecties van de Universiteit Leiden laten de auteurs van Gerrit Komrij tot Ruud Koole en Bas Haring zien waar ratio en emotie elkaar ontmoeten in het spanningsveld van onderwijs en onderzoek. Al onthouden zij u ook de teleurstellende resultaten niet, in dit boek spreken ze de liefde uit voor hun vak. Show less
Leiden University was conceived as the embodiment of specifically academic ethics which sought to improve society through a cumulative process of knowledge acquisition. Drawing on the idea of... Show moreLeiden University was conceived as the embodiment of specifically academic ethics which sought to improve society through a cumulative process of knowledge acquisition. Drawing on the idea of Leiden as a 'bastion of liberty', the renowned historian Willem Otterspeer proposes that concepts such as 'equilibrium' and 'mediation' are key to understanding the university as an institution. Modernity and scale expansion have made Leiden University a different institution in the twentyfirst century, one scarcely comparable to what had gone before. As this lively and erudite study shows, a university is a form of social capital, one of Western society's answers to the dilemma of collective action, an instrument for preserving and restoring equilibrium, and hence for fostering continuity. From this vantage point, a university is a confidence-building mechanism that generates solutions to the serious problems facing society today. Also available in Dutch: "http://www.aup.nl/do.php?a=show_visitor_book&isbn=9789087280246">ISBN 978 90 8728 024 6 Show less
Leiden University was conceived as the embodiment of specifically academic ethics which sought to improve society through a cumulative process of knowledge acquisition. Drawing on the idea of... Show moreLeiden University was conceived as the embodiment of specifically academic ethics which sought to improve society through a cumulative process of knowledge acquisition. Drawing on the idea of Leiden as a 'bastion of liberty', the renowned historian Willem Otterspeer proposes that concepts such as 'equilibrium' and 'mediation' are key to understanding the university as an institution. Modernity and scale expansion have made Leiden University a different institution in the twentyfirst century, one scarcely comparable to what had gone before. As this lively and erudite study shows, a university is a form of social capital, one of Western society's answers to the dilemma of collective action, an instrument for preserving and restoring equilibrium, and hence for fostering continuity. From this vantage point, a university is a confidence-building mechanism that generates solutions to the serious problems facing society today. Show less
