Religious traditions are intrinsically tied to educational systems and their pedagogical methods. The linkage between them is among the most important cultural and historical subjects that bear on human societies in general and Jewish society in particular, and questions pertinent to that linkage arise in both the religious and the educational spheres. On the religious side, such questions might involve the way in which religiousvalues can be transmitted from one generation to the next. What institutional, cognitive, and emotional mechanisms are employed by a given society in bequeathing its religious concepts and values to the younger generation? On the educational side, one might ask about the dynamics of change with respect to values, modes of thought, and forms of conduct. What role does the educational system play in implementing changes or reforms of this nature? Is there truly a clash, as is often assumed, between religious norms and critical thought, between emphasizing discipline and educating for autonomy, or between reliance on a tradition and openness to innovation? Who are the religious authorities that devise and formulate the educational process, and in what ways do disputes over the educational process reflect a struggle between competing authorities? What is the relationship between religious and “secular” authorities (such as magistrates, officials, or governmental bodies) in a given society, and to what extent do these relations affect the nature of education within that society? And, finally, atwhom is the system of religious education aimed gender perspectives.

Beginning with the exploration of the problem of secularization and the role of modern science in seventeenth century Europe, Michael Heyd focuses in on a specific case study: the examination of the diffusion of Cartesian science and its relationship with the secularization of society in the context of a particular educational institution - the Academy of Geneva between the period of Orthodoxy and the beginning of the Enlightenment.