Natan Wise

March 3rd, 2014

The standout figure of the selected chapters of Shorto’s Island at the Center of the World is undoubtedly Adriaen van der Donck.  As a young lawyer on the fast track to success in the Dutch Republic, van der Donck decided to accept a high post and come over to be a member of the ruling class in New Netherland.  Rather then run the colony in the authoritative manner of his peers, van der Donck spread ideals of just representation and revolution all over the colony.  He clashed with Van Rensselaer because of his independent spirit.  He came to blows with Kieft because he refused to participate in the director general of the West India Company’s racist war against Native Americans, and when Kieft was replaced by the even harsher Peter Stuyvesant, van der Donck continued to lobby on behalf of local government and fair treatment of natives.  Shorto turns van der Donck into a champion of the people and a lovable character, coaxing an unknown civil rights hero out of the shadows of history.  But where exactly did van der Donck come across these sophisticated ideas that seemed to set the tone for New York’s perpetuance for tolerance generations later? Why, look no further then a far more prominent historical figure: Rene Descartes.

Descartes was van der Donck’s mentor at Leiden University and can be credited for influencing van der Donck’s seemingly progressive philosophy.  Dubbed “the father of Western philosophy,” Descartes clearly influenced the culture of the New World without ever having crossed the Atlantic.  His moral philosophy, which is studied in universities to this day, was the driving force behind van der Donck’s actions, and set the tone for the ethical revolution of the late 17th century.  While history has clearly underplayed van der Donck’s influence, it’s a shame that Descartes and the work coming out of Leiden University doesn’t get more credit for actively shaping the new world philosophy.  No matter what history says, Henry Hudson did no more to embody the spirit of the modern New Yorker then Rene Descartes or Adriaen van der Donck, and Shorto takes a large step in ensuring the Dutch moralists get the credit they’re due.