Project description
Science and philosophy in reconfiguring early modern thought
Leibniz’s theory of nature, as represented in ‘De ipsa natura’ (1698), and his largely neglected controversy with Johann Christoph Sturm offer a unique look at the transformation of the roles and understandings of force, agency and natural laws in early modern thought. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the RENAT project will explore this lively debate and its role within the confines of this early modern transformation of our notion of nature. To achieve this, the project will extensively explore and study Leibniz’s approach and works, especially ‘De ipsa natura’, as well as previously neglected sources and debates which could expand our knowledge of Leibniz’s understanding of both early modern philosophy and science.
Objective
"This project reassesses Leibniz’s theory of nature through the lens of his ""De ipsa natura"" (1698) and the largely neglected controversy with Johann Christoph Sturm. ""De ipsa natura (On Nature Itself)""—Leibniz’s last major published essay and the first to use the term “monad”—offers a concise yet rich presentation of his mature metaphysics, centered on force, dynamics, and the concept of nature. It arose in response to Sturm’s Boyle-inspired occasionalism and his denial of intrinsic causal powers in creatures, a position Leibniz countered by grounding natural laws in the active and passive powers of individual substances.
The project situates this debate within broader early modern transformations of the notion of nature. Against mechanical philosophers who reduced natural explanation to laws and divine decree, Leibniz insists on the reality of inner principles of activity in finite beings, while rejecting both scholastic “faculties” and animist vitalism. By foregrounding neglected sources and debates, the project both clarifies Leibniz’s distinctive recovery of “nature” and enriches our understanding of early modern science and philosophy.
Despite the significance of ""De ipsa natura"", no critical edition or comprehensive study exists. This project addresses that gap through four objectives: 1) An annotated edition and translation of the Leibniz–Sturm controversy and related texts. 2) A series of scholarly articles on central issues in ""De ipsa natura"", including Leibniz’s theory of forces and the heterogeneity argument against matter as pure extension. 3) A philosophical investigation of Leibniz conception of natural order and natural predicates. 4) A broader intellectual history of the concept of nature in early modern philosophy, using Leibniz as a lens to map debates across canonical figures (Boyle, Descartes, Malebranche, Newton, Spinoza) and lesser-known interlocutors (Sturm, Schelhammer)."
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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20122 Milano
Italy
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