Editing Dutch Republic (section)

===Culture and society===
[[File:Hendrick Avercamp - Skaters and golf players on frozen floodwaters by the Broederpoort at Kampen.jpg|thumb|Winter landscape with skaters near the city of [[Kampen, Overijssel|Kampen]], by [[Hendrick Avercamp]]]]
[[File:Jan Steen - The Doctor's Visit - 1956.11.50 - Smithsonian American Art Museum.jpg|thumb|''The Doctor's Visit '', by [[Jan Steen]]]]
Dutch culture also declined both in the arts and sciences. Literature for example largely imitated English and French styles with little in the way of innovation or originality. The most influential intellectual was [[Pierre Bayle]] (1647–1706), a Protestant refugee from France who settled in Rotterdam where he wrote the massive ''[[Dictionnaire Historique et Critique]]'' (''Historical and Critical Dictionary'', 1696). It had a major impact on the thinking of [[The Enlightenment]] across Europe, giving an arsenal of weapons to critics who wanted to attack religion. It was an encyclopaedia of ideas that argued that most "truths" were merely opinions, and that gullibility and stubbornness were prevalent.<ref>Thomas M. Lennon and Michael Hickson, "Pierre Bayle", ''The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' (2012) [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/bayle/ online]</ref>

Religious life became more relaxed as well. Catholics grew from 18% to 23% of the population during the 18th century and enjoyed greater tolerance, even as they continued to be outside the political system. They became divided by the feud between moralistic Jansenists (who denied free will) and orthodox believers. One group of Jansenists formed a splinter sect, the [[Old Catholic Church]] in 1723. The upper classes willingly embraced the ideas of the Enlightenment, tempered by the tolerance that meant less hostility to organized religion compared to France.{{Sfnp|Israel|1995|pages=1033-1036}}

Dutch universities declined in importance, no longer attracting large numbers of foreign students. The Netherlands remained an important hub of intellectual exchange, creating reviews of foreign publications that made scholars aware of new works in French, German, and English. Dutch painting declined, no longer being innovative, with painters pursuing the styles of the old masters.

Life for the average Dutchman became slower and more relaxed in the 18th century. The upper and middle classes continued to enjoy prosperity and high living standards. The drive to succeed seemed less urgent. Unskilled laborers remained locked in poverty and hardship. The large underclass of unemployed required government and private charity to survive.