Franco Burgersdijk

Franco Petri Burgersdijk, or Franciscus Burgersdicius (born Franck Pieterszoon Burgersdijk; 3 May 1590 – 19 February 1635), was a Dutch logician who worked as a professor of logic and moral philosophy and rector at Leiden University. Franco Burgersdijk's teaching helped raise the profile of logic and philosophy in Dutch universities.

Life

Franco Burgersdijk was born on 3 May 1590, in De Lier. Burgersdijk spent much of his childhood on a farm, and attended the Latin Schools at both Amersfoort (16041606) and Delft Gymnasium (16061610). Shortly after, he decided to study theology at the University of Leiden. His growing interest in debate led him to become a mentee of Gisbertus Voetius, the vice principal of Staten Collegie. After finishing his education in Leiden, he further pursued his studies at the University of Saumur where he became a professor of philosophy in 1614. After the Arminian "purification" of universities of the Dutch Republic, Burgersdijk relocated back to Holland and became a professor of logic at the University of Leiden. He was later appointed as the chair of ethics and then exchanged it for the chair of philosophy. He died in Leiden.

The reason for Burgersdijk's popularity stems from his first book, Idea Philosophiae Naturalis, which became the model for his later writings. His treatment of his subjects is clear, logical, concise and well organized. The method of orderly study he employed was designed to instill "sound scholarship". Starting from his method of definition and classification, he examined the whole of natural philosophy in 26 disputations, each of which presented a set of theses that could be further examined by consulting the listed pros and cons instances. Another collection of disputations took place in the Collegium physicum. Burgersdijk's reputation in the 17th century rested on his systematic manuals. They received their pedagogical importance from the efficient adaptation of the Corpus Aristotelicum to the standards of the humanistic method. Burgersdijk's neo-Aristotelianism is related to the Contra-Remonstrant movement in the Dutch Republic.

Religious troubles and their effect on Burgersdijk's Academic Career During the truce between the Dutch and Spanish armies in 1609, followers of theology professor Jacob Arminius requested the States of Holland to review certain religious issues. These issues consisted of a series of conflicts between Arminians, followers of Jacob Arminius, and Gomarists, followers of Fransicus Gomarus. These conflicts arose due to different interpretations of the holy scripture. After Jacchaeus's death in 1628, Burgersdijk exchanged his chair of ethics for the chair of philosophy.

Burgersdijk's second compendium was of moral and political thought. This compendium was also heavily influenced by Aristotle. (Leiden, 1622) (Leiden, 1623) (Leiden, 1626) Idea philosophiae tum naturalis, tum moralis. (Oxford, 1631) Institutionum logicarum synopsis. (Leiden, 1632) Collegium physicum, disputationibus XXXII. absolutum. (Leiden, 1637) (Leiden, 1640) Idea oeconomicae et politicae doctrinae. (Leiden, 1644)