Public talk: The Enlightenment's Most Dangerous Woman

During the Enlightenment, women were excluded from universities and from the academies of science in London, Paris and Berlin that dominated intellectual life.

Despite these barriers, a young French philosopher, Émilie Du Châtelet, published several important works and quickly became famous throughout Europe. She even managed to hold a public debate with the leader of the French Academy in Paris. 

At the very same time, the canon of modern European philosophy was being formed by some of the very figures who had promoted Du Châtelet's ideas. But including a woman in the new philosophy canon was considered an intellectual threat, a bridge too far.

So despite her fame, Du Châtelet was ultimately excluded from the canon at the very moment of its creation.

What does this story tell us about philosophy today?

Hosted by The Center for Canon Expansion and Change.