Du Châtelet’s Eclectic Laboratory

L’Expérience est le bâton que la nature a donné à nous autres aveugles, pour nousconduire dans nos recherches ~ Du Châtelet, Institutions de physique, Avant-propos

To celebrate Émilie du Châtelet’s 319th birthday, the Center for the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists invites you to take a deep dive into the empirical foundations of her Institutions de physique. The event is organised by Ruth E. Hagengruber and Pierpaolo Betti.

While Du Châtelet’s engagement with major figures like Descartes, Newton, and Leibniz is well documented, her work also draws extensively on a wide range of lesser-known experimentalists of her time. This event shifts the focus to the “eclectic laboratory” embedded in the Institutions and the remarkable variety of experiments she references. The program will feature an introductory talk by Pierpaolo Betti, with responses by Clara Carus and Christian Henkel, followed by a discussion with all participants. Join us as we investigate how Du Châtelet intagrates these findings to construct and support her natural philosophy.

Registration for participation is required: https://indico.uni-paderborn.de/event/150/