The Zeeuwsch Genootschap and the Formation of its Correspondence Network
The Dissemination and Employment of Knowledge
According to Burke, the last two stages are the dissemination and employment
of knowledge. Both are closely linked together, as the ZGW as an institution did
not necessarily act on the knowledge it possessed. The knowledge would only
become 'useful knowledge' that allowed for action if the academy disseminated
the knowledge to the people who could employ it. There are various methods of
dissemination - such as oral transmission, letters, and performances. Burke also
describes practices, such as translation, that accompanied this dissemination of
knowledge.112 Some of these practices were utilised by the ZGW. For example,
the meetings of the ZGW served as a platform for oral transmission, as attending
members were informed on the new developments in the arts and sciences that
had been sent to the ZGW in the form of letters, essays, books and drawings.113
Another method was the publication of the Verhandelingen, which functioned as
one of the most important means of dissemination. When the ZGW had received
enough essays that were fit for publication, a new edition of the Verhandelingen
would be published.114 The first edition was published in 1769. The Verhandelin
gen were not only distributed amongst members, but were also sent to other acad
emies in the Netherlands - including the Holland Society for the Sciences, the
Batavian Society for Experimental Philosophy, and the Learned Society of Nij
megen.115 This meant that the knowledge which the ZGW had gathered reached
an audience far outside its network.
The ZGW also disseminated knowledge on request. Frequently, the ZGW
received a request for a piece of information. For example, Johannes Nettis - a
member of the ZGW from Middelburg - requested a book from the ZGW li
brary for a friend in Germany.116 As the ZGW was recruiting more international
members, there was a need for translation of received letters and papers. The
ZGW employed its members to do so; for example, Boddaert translated Pierre
Mechain's observations of Saturnus for the ZGW.117 Finally, knowledge could be
disseminated through the correspondence network. Through using the Closeness
Centrality metric it can be discovered which members could be most effective
114
112 Burke, History of Knowledge, 77-80.
113 Burke, History of Knowledge, 76.
114 Mijnhardt, Tot Heil van't Menschdom, 173.
115 ZA, Arch. KZGW, inv. nr. 60, scan 127-138.
116 ZA, Arch. KZGW, inv. nr. 58, scan 425.
117 ZA, Arch. KZGW, inv. nr. 56, scan 21.
