The Batavian Society for Experimental Philosophy ( nl, Bataafsch Genootschap voor Proefondervindelijke Wijsbegeerte) is a Dutch

learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership m ...

residing in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

History

The society was founded on June 3, 1769 after Steven Hoogendijk declared in his last will that after his death a foundation for the furtherance of

experimental philosophy Experimental philosophy is an emerging field of philosophical inquiry Edmonds, David and Warburton, NigelPhilosophy’s great experiment, ''Prospect'', March 1, 2009 that makes use of empirical data—often gathered through surveys which probe ...

(a term now called 'Science') would inherit his fortune. His fortune would be more than sufficient to secure the foundation's financial future for a long time. The society met as a gentlemen's club of amateur scientists. The initial directors were:Steven Hogendijk
in A.J. van der Aa * dr.

Salomon de Monchy Salomon may refer to: People * Salomon (given name) * Salomon (surname) Companies * Salomon Brothers, a former investment bank, now a part of Citigroup * Salomon Group, a company manufacturing sporting equipment (which was a part of Adidas-Salom ...

, professor of health * dr. Leonard Patyn, professor of health * dr. Lambert Bicker,

Remonstrant The Remonstrants (or the Remonstrant Brotherhood) is a Protestant movement that had split from the Dutch Reformed Church in the early 17th century. The early Remonstrants supported Jacobus Arminius, and after his death, continued to maintain his ...

minister * Cornelis Nozeman, Remonstrant minister * Martinus Schouten, physician They asked for permission from stadtholder Willem V to award medals for answers to prize questions, as so many other societies did in those days. After obtaining his permission, they again needed to ask permission from the

States of Holland and West Friesland The States of Holland and West Frisia ( nl, Staten van Holland en West-Friesland) were the representation of the two Estates (''standen'') to the court of the Count of Holland. After the United Provinces were formed — and there no longer was a co ...

, because the

Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen The Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen (Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities), located on the east side of the Spaarne in downtown Haarlem, Netherlands, was established in 1752 and is the oldest society for the scie ...

had heard of their intention and protested. They felt that having two such societies in one province (the province of Holland) was in violation of their own privilege. The directors were able to convince the States of their case for a society in Rotterdam, however, and they obtained their privilege in 1770 and produced a program of prize questions the same year. Their first edition of their society magazine with the winning prize answers was published in 1774. It was called ''Verhandelingen van het Bataafsch Genootschap der Proefondervindelijke Wijsbegeerte'' and awarded a prize medal of 30 ducats in gold to winners. The medal was first designed by G. van Moelingen probably in 1769 and improved by

Johann Georg Holtzhey Johann Georg Holtzhey (1729, Amsterdam – 1808, Amsterdam), was an 18th-century Dutch medallist and mint master. Biography According to the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD) he was the son of Martin Holtzhey, master of the mint ...

after 1772.the medals of the society
on the society website Later the prize medal was redesigned in 1866 by Johan Philip Menger. Hoogendijk himself lived to a great age and saw the society flourish. He also published a piece on a

pyrometer A pyrometer is a type of remote-sensing thermometer used to measure the temperature of distant objects. Various forms of pyrometers have historically existed. In the modern usage, it is a device that from a distance determines the temperature of ...

in the first edition of the magazine in 1774. The Society suffered during the French occupation of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in the late 18th and early 19th century, due to the

tiercering The Tiercering (from the French word ''tierce'', meaning a third) refers to a historical event in the Netherlands on July 9, 1810, when Emperor Napoleon imposed a reduction of interest to one third of the norm on Dutch government bonds. Because of ...

. In 1917, a major part of the Society's capital was lost during the Russian Revolution as the Russian

bond Bond or bonds may refer to: Common meanings * Bond (finance), a type of debt security * Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States * Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemica ...

s owned by the Society became worthless. The Batavian Society suffered an even heavier blow during the

bombardment A bombardment is an attack by artillery fire or by dropping bombs from aircraft on fortifications, combatants, or towns and buildings. Prior to World War I, the term was only applied to the bombardment of defenseless or undefended objects, ...

of Rotterdam in May 1940, when essentially all archival material and historic artifacts were lost. Currently, the Society, with around 400 members, is a forum for scientists living in the vicinity of Rotterdam. Six scientific meetings per annum, mostly dedicated to

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

and

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

sciences, are held plus a one-day convention, where the Steven Hoogendijk Premiums are awarded to young scientists.

References

External links

Website
{{authority control Scientific societies based in the Netherlands Organisations based in Rotterdam Organizations established in 1769 History of Rotterdam