ABSTRACT
The clash of ideas between the old scholastic and new thinkers was epitomized in the open, and at times bitter, conflict between the Utrecht theologian Gijsbert Voet and the philosopher René Descartes. This chapter traces the influence of these two important players in Anna Maria van Schurman's advocacy of higher education for women. It examines the nature of their interactions with her and their respective contributions to her intellectual trajectory. Van Schurman compared scholastic philosophers and theologians to ivy, which never seeks to climb higher than the trees which support it, and often even grows downward after reaching the tree-tops. Van Schurman replies that she admires the Aristotelian professors and theologians at Utrecht because of two key features of their work: their emphasis on theology and their respect for the past. The chapter evaluates Voetius's and Descartes formative influence on Van Schurman's intellectual development and views on women's education.
