What is a Principle? Differing Perspectives in Early Modern Philosophy

June 17, 2026 - June 18, 2026
Philosophisches Seminar, Heidelberg University

Grimmsaal (library)
Schulgasse 6
Heidelberg 69117
Germany

This will be an accessible event, including organized related activities

Sponsor(s):

  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Philosophie
  • Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung

Speakers:

Australian Catholic University
(unaffiliated)
Heidelberg University
University of Basel
University of Bucharest
(unaffiliated)
Heidelberg University

Organisers:

Heidelberg University
Heidelberg University

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What is a Principle? Differing Perspectives in Early Modern Philosophy


Grimmsaal in der Bibliothek des Philosophischen Seminars, University of Heidelberg


Wednesday 17th of June


13:30 Welcome

Clara Carus, Oliver Toth


13:45 Dana Jalobeanu (UTN): Baconian induction and the construction of principles


14:45 Coffee break


15:00 Mogens Laerke (ENS Lyon/Oxford): Nathaniel Culverwell's Natural Plerophory of First Principles: A Stoic Theory of Common Notions


16:00 Coffee break


16:15 Clara Carus (Heidelberg): Du Châtelet's First Principles on Two Levels


17:15 Coffee break


17:30 Peter Anstey (ACU): Proof by experiment versus rational mechanics: discovering the laws of nature before 1750


19:00 Conference dinner


Thursday, 18th of June


9:30 Daniel Bella (Hamburg): Initium: Approaching the Temporal Aspect of principium through a Less Prominent Concept


10:30 Coffee break


10:45 Manuel Fasko (Basel): Mary Shepherd's Principles


11:45 coffee break


12:00 Oliver Toth (Heidelberg): Spinoza’s Naturalist Principles of Mental Causation


13:00 Concluding remarks


The conference is free and open to everyone.

The conference is generously funded by the German Society for Philosophy and the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung

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