Invitation to Participate in the 18th Quarterly Lecture in the Philosophy of Science
Katherine Brading (Duke University): Du Châtelet on Scientific Knowledge
Venue: Online via Zoom, 29 October 2026 (16:00 CET)
Abstract: What is the best method for doing physics, and what is the epistemic status of the resulting theoretical claims? This question was pressing in the early 18th century, and the resulting transformation in our conception of scientific knowledge has lasting consequences today. I will describe the state of the debate as of the early 18th century and present Du Châtelet’s role in the transformation. We will look at her famous chapter on hypotheses in her book, Foundations of Physics, and we will see how she aligned her method for doing physics with the epistemic status of the resulting knowledge claims. The upshot is a highly-developed account of “uncertain knowledge,” a familiar (if difficult) idea in science today, but an oxymoron at the time.
All information, including the Zoom link and background readings, will be posted here: https://philosophiederphysik.
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Karla Weingarten (she/her)
PhD Candidate | Radboud University, Nijmegen (NL)
Radboud Center for Natural Philosophy | Institute for Science in Society