While the historiography of philosophy has increasingly integrated marginalized figures, the philosophical exchanges between Leibniz and his female correspondents remain understudied. Beyond well-known exchanges with figures like Lady Damaris Masham and Caroline of Ansbach (within the Clarke-Dispute), significant correspondences still await scholarly attention. This paper examines a rich thread in Leibniz’s correspondence with Sophie of Hannover, focusing on the critical intervention of Elisabeth Charlotte (Liselotte) von der Pfalz, whose challenges prompted an exchange on the thought of Francis Mercury van Helmont. As the first study, to my knowledge, dedicated to this episode and to treating Liselotte’s letters as philosophical documents, its primary aim is to present and analyze this correspondence. Through this analysis, the study seeks to elucidate Liselotte’s distinct philosophical attitude and, to a lesser extent, Sophie’s. Ultimately, this microhistory addresses a broader meta-philosophical question: What does this episode reveal about early modern intellectual networks and the strategies women used to engage in philosophical discourse from the margins of official academic life?

Dr. Laura Herrera Castillo currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Leibniz-Forschungsstelle in Münster and teaches as an adjunct lecturer (Lehrbeauftragte) in Philosophy at the University of Münster. Originally from Colombia, she earned her doctorate on Philosophy in Granada, Spain, with a thesis on Leibniz’s concept of function across his mathematics, physics, and metaphysics. She has conducted research at the universities of Münster and Hannover and has held a visiting professorship at LMU Munich.
E-Mail: laura.herreracastillo@uni-muenster.de

The Talk is part of the regular research colloquium held at the Center for the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists.

Everybody is welcome to attend!

The talk will start at 4 pm.

Room: TP8.1.46

Building: Technologiepark 8

Adress: Technologiepark 8, 33098 Paderborn