Erasmus Birthday Lecture
On 13 November 2026, Professor Han van Ruler, Professor of Intellectual History at Erasmus School of Philosophy, Erasmus University Rotterdam, will deliver the 45th Erasmus Birthday Lecture, titled ‘Fusing Plato to Rhetoric: Erasmus on Transcending Self-Interest’. The lecture will be held at the KNAW Trippenhuis, Kloveniersburgwal 29, Amsterdam, on 13 November 2026 from 16:00 until 17:30. Prior registration is required.
More info and registration here
PhD / RMA Masterclass
Earlier that day, from 12:00 until 14:15, Professor Han van Ruler will be giving a Masterclass to selected PhD and Research Master students. In this masterclass, participants will first be given an impression of Erasmus’ intellectual biography relating to such themes as Erasmus’ Life and Times, Works, Manners and Morals, In Praise of Folly, the Philosophia Christi, Politics and Education, etc. Next, an in-class discussion will be held on the basis of questions related to the interpretation of two of Erasmus’ Adages: Festina lente and Spartam nactus es, and the relevance of moral philosophical ideas for intellectual history in the early-modern period will be debated.
The masterclass will also be held at the Trippenhuis. Students wanting to participate in this masterclass should apply before 1 November 2026 via the website of the KNAW.
More info and application form here
ECTS
1 ECTS will be awarded to students who will meet all following three criteria:
- selected for and participated in the masterclass, and
- attended the Eramus Birthday Lecture, and
- submitted a reflective essay