Époque Émilienne

The present book contextualizes Du Châtelet’s contribution to the philosophy of her time. The editor offers this tribute to an Époque Émiliennee as a collection of innovative papers on Emilie Du Châtelet’s powerful philosophy and legacy.

Du Châtelet was an outstanding figure in the era she lived in. Her work and achievements were unique, though not an exception in the 18th century, which did not lack outstanding women. Her personal intellectual education, her scholarly network and her mental acumen were celebrated in her time, perceiving her to have “multiplied nine figures by nine figures in her head”. She was able to gain access to institutions which were normally denied to women. To call an epoch an Époque Émilienne may be seen as daring and audacious, but it will not be the last time if we continue to bring women philosophers back into the memory of the history of philosophy. 

The contributors paid attention to the philosophical state of the art, whichforms the background to Du Châtelet’s philosophy. They follow the transformation of philosophical concepts under her pen and retrace the impact of her ideas. 

The book is of interest to scholars working in the history of philosophy as well as in gender studies. It is of special interest for scholars working on the 18th century, Kant, Leibniz, Wolff, Newton and the European Enlightenment.

Ruth Edith Hagengruber is Professor at Paderborn University, Chair of its Philosophy Department and Director of the Center for the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists. In 2006, she founded the Teaching and Research Area Eco Tech Gender and History of Women Philosophers and Scientists. Since 2016 she has been the director of the Center for the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists; since 2016 (German series) and 2018 she has been founder and co-editor of the Springer series Women in the History of Philosophy and Sciences. She has been head of the first working group Women in the History of Philosophy of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Philosophie since 2017 and serves on several boards of journals. She has served as Vice President of the Deutsche Akademikerinnen Bund e.V. since 2019 and as elected secretary of the International Association of Women Philosophers IAPH e.V. (since 2021). She is Elected Member of the Leibniz-Sozietät der Wissenschaften zu Berlin e.V. (2019), Lifetime member of the International Association of Computing and Philosophy I-ACAP (2011) and served on the Advisory Board MCTS Munich Center for Technology in Society of the Technical University, Munich (2011-2019). In 2014, she received the Award Philosophy in the Media; in 2015 the Wiener-Schmidt-Award of the Society of Cybernetics and System Theory; in 2016 she won the fellowship for presenting women philosophers in digital teaching (Philosophy goes MOOC). Together with its sponsor, Ulrike Detmers, she awards the Elisabeth of Bohemia Prize for outstanding achievements in the history of women philosophers. Beside publications in the philosophy of Information Science (2011, 2014), she contributes to the History of Women Philosophers: in 2011 she edited Emilie Du Châtelet between Leibniz and Newton, with Karin Green she edited The Monist (2015). In cooperation with Sarah Hutton, she edited the British Journal for the History of Philosophy on Women Philosophers from Renaissance to the Enlightenment (2019/2021). Emilie Du Châtelet und die deutsche Aufklärung, coedited with H. Hecht, was published in 2019 and in 2020 she published amongst numerous others the chapter The Stolen History, in the book Methodological Reflections on Women's Contribution and Influence in the History of Philosophy.