[2] The museum focuses on the European culture of free thinking[further explanation needed] of the past 2,000 years with Hermetic wisdom as the source of inspiration: insight into the connection between God, cosmos and man.

[5][editorializing] Since the opening, the library focused on activities like expanding the collection, the development of expertise within the Ritman research institute, and the growth of its own publisher in de Pelikaan.

God of commerce Mercury and goddess of wisdom Minerva were placed left and right of the central entrance in the 17th century to make it clear that this was the home of a wise merchant (Mercator Sapiens).

Lodewijk and Laurens de Geer, from 1634 residents of the House with the Heads for 150 years, were besides affluent entrepreneurs also patrons of free thinkers and made the printing of their works possible.

The collection of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica includes Corpus Hermeticum (1503) printed on parchment, Robert Fludd's Utriusque cosmi historia (1617).

Moreover, the museum possesses Atalanta Fugiens (1617) written by Michael Maier, the Biblia Polyglotta (1573) printed by Christoffel Plantijn, and a collection of works by Gustav Meyrink.