A moderate excess Argumentation and conceptual change in the luxury debate in Swedish dissertations, 1722–1779 Master’s thesis, 60 credits, Spring 2016 Author: Oskar Andersson Supervisor: Professor Henrik Ågren Seminar chair: Docent Erik Lindberg Date of defence: 24 May, 2016 HISTORISKA INSTITUTIONEN ii Abstract Research into the luxury debate in 18th century Sweden has focused on poetry and literature, the wording of decrees and the minutes of the Swedish riksdag. One source material largely left unexplored is the body of dissertations published by Swedish universities of the time. Not only is this an unfortunate omission as the universities were important intellectual centres, but also because they had a distinct culture, heavily influenced by Latin and the classics, in which luxury condemnations played a pivotal role. Building on the notion that ideas are best studied as arguments in debates, this master’s thesis examines twelve dissertations published in Sweden in the years 1722–1779 using models of conceptual change and argumentation analysis as theoretical approaches. The results indicate that the academic debate on luxury, through its focus on classical antiquity and conceptual definition, distinguished itself from other contemporary Swedish contributions to the debate, and that the interpretation of its characteristics must proceed from both the dissertation genre and the learned culture of university. The investigation furthermore stresses the importance of the university as a venue for reception of ideas in the latter part of the Early Modern Period and emphasises the dissertations as a central medium in this process. Keywords: luxury, university, dissertations, Neo-Latin, concepts, argumentation, rhetoric, antiquity, classics 1 Table of contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................................... 1 List of images ................................................................................................................................................................. 4 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 5 1.1 Voices from Gustavianum ................................................................................................................................ 5 1.1.2 Wieselgren: the utility of luxury, the value of dissertations.................................................................. 7 1.2 Latin culture at the university ........................................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Dissertations: “a formal element of academic culture” ..............................................................................11 1.3.1 Form and content .....................................................................................................................................13 1.3.2 Authorship, relevance and influence – three prime questions in the reception of the dissertations .........................................................................................................................................................13 1.3.2.1 Authorship ........................................................................................................................................14 1.3.2.2 Relevance ..........................................................................................................................................15 1.3.2.3 Distribution ......................................................................................................................................16 1.3.3. Receivers ...................................................................................................................................................17 1.4 Theoretical approaches: conceptual change and argumentation ..............................................................19 1.4.1 Concepts and rhetorical manipulation in the Age of Rhetoric .........................................................19 1.4.2 Working definitions and conceptual change ........................................................................................21 1.4.3 Luxus in Neo-Latin ..................................................................................................................................22 1.4.4. Arguments .................................................................................................................................................25 1.4.4.1 Arguments against luxury 1500–1700 ..........................................................................................27 1.4.4.2 The 18th century luxury debate: the challenge of Mandeville ..................................................28 1.4.5 Concluding remarks .................................................................................................................................30 1.5 Preliminaries ......................................................................................................................................................31 1.5.1 Research questions ...................................................................................................................................31 1.5.2 Selection of material .................................................................................................................................31 1.5.3. Chronological choice and disposition ..................................................................................................32 II. ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................. 34 2.1 The period 1722–1743 .....................................................................................................................................34 2.1.1 Voluptates reipublicae noxias (1722) ............................................................................................................34 2.1.1.1 Preliminary considerations ........................................................................................................34 2.1.1.2 Definition .....................................................................................................................................34 2.1.1.3 Arguments ....................................................................................................................................36 2.1.1.4 Concluding remarks ...................................................................................................................37 2.1.2 Felicitatem ex moderamine sumptus (1726) ...................................................................................................38 2.1.2.1 Preliminary considerations ........................................................................................................38 2.1.2.2 Definition .....................................................................................................................................38 2 2.1.2.3 Argumentation ............................................................................................................................39 2.1.2.4 Concluding remarks ...................................................................................................................40 2.1.3 Meditationes nonnullas luxum ejusque in republica effectum exhibentes (1743) ..............................................41 2.1.3.1 Preliminary considerations ........................................................................................................41 2.1.3.2 Definition .....................................................................................................................................41 2.1.3.3 Argumentation ............................................................................................................................41 2.1.3.4 Concluding remarks ...................................................................................................................42 2.1.4 Summary 1722–1743 ................................................................................................................................42 2.2 Interlude: Two early examples of a changed view on luxury in economic literature ............................45 2.3 The period 1743–1765 .....................................................................................................................................47 2.3.1 De Luxu (1748) ..........................................................................................................................................47 2.3.1.1 Preliminary considerations ........................................................................................................47 2.3.1.2 Definition .....................................................................................................................................47 2.3.1.3 Arguments ....................................................................................................................................48 2.3.1.4 Concluding remarks ...................................................................................................................50 2.3.2 Nonnullas circa commercia cautelas examinans (1752)..................................................................................51 2.3.2.1 Preliminary considerations ........................................................................................................51