PHIL 202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Émilie Du Châtelet, Francesco Algarotti, Mary Astell
4 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
History of Modern Philosophy
3.09.18 Lecture Notes – Emilie Du Chatelet, Introduction
- Women seem to have their own category
- 1600-1800: Earlier traditions used to confine centers to learning to areas like
monasteries
- Areas of education are being moved to universities
- Italian universities were the only ones that were accepting female students
- Salons – women would hold these discussions in salons, intellectual discussions
o Beginning to have access to educational resources
o Scientists, literary writers, doctors
- Increase in correspondence (letter-writing) between female and male intellectuals
- Other examples of female philosophers
o Margaret Cavendish (1623-1673) – rough contemporary of Descartes
▪ Prolific writer, criticized Descartes and Hobbes
▪ Unique because she focuses on metaphysical and epistemological
problems
o Anne Conway (1631-1679) – contemporary of Cavendish
▪ Self-taught
▪ Had an influence on Leibniz
o Damaris Masham (1659-1708) – education
o Mary Astell (1666-1731) – epistemology, education
Background Information:
- Born in 1706
- Born to an aristocratic family, married young and becomes a Marquise
- 1733: Meets Voltaire (writer from France, sarcastic)
- 1734: Du Chatelet moves to Cirey, invites Voltaire to come live with her
- 1735: Algarotti visits – he is writig Netoiais for the Ladies
- Cirey becomes this place that intellectuals are constantly visiting
- 1736-1737 – Voltaire begins writing the Elements
- 1737 – Academy in France has an essay topic – topic was on the nature of fire
o Voltaire and Du Chatelet oth suitted, oth do ot i, ut they’re pulished
- 1739 – enlists Konig to become her tutor
- 1738 – Du Chatelet wasn’t ery happy ith the Eleets, rites the first draft of the
Foundations of Physics
- She seems to have changed a lot of the important parts in 1739 due to a change of heart
o 1737 Voltaire wrote a paper on Newtonian philosophy – are commentaries on
Newton
o Voltaire is a big supporter of Newton, but is also not a very deep thinker
o DC does not think Voltaire did a very good job, produces a physics textbook for
France
o Has a crisis of confidence
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Document Summary
3. 09. 18 lecture notes emilie du chatelet, introduction. Women seem to have their own category. 1600-1800: earlier traditions used to confine centers to learning to areas like monasteries. Areas of education are being moved to universities. Salons women would hold these discussions in salons, intellectual discussions. Italian universities were the only ones that were accepting female students: beginning to have access to educational resources, scientists, literary writers, doctors. Increase in correspondence (letter-writing) between female and male intellectuals. Born to an aristocratic family, married young and becomes a marquise. 1733: meets voltaire (writer from france, sarcastic) 1734: du chatelet moves to cirey, invites voltaire to come live with her. 1735: algarotti visits he is writi(cid:374)g (cid:862)ne(cid:449)to(cid:374)ia(cid:374)is(cid:373) for the ladies(cid:863) Cirey becomes this place that intellectuals are constantly visiting. 1736-1737 voltaire begins writing the elements. 1737 academy in france has an essay topic topic was on the nature of fire: voltaire and du chatelet (cid:271)oth su(cid:271)(cid:373)itted, (cid:271)oth do (cid:374)ot (cid:449)i(cid:374), (cid:271)ut they"re pu(cid:271)lished.
