[Philosop] Deadline extension and final CFP: Kant’s Theories of Matter (SHPS)
How...@em.uni-frankfurt.de
*Call for papers: Kant’s Theories of Matter*
Following requests from contributors, we have extended the submission
deadline by one month. New deadline: *15 May 2026*
This special issue of Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
aims to provide a better understanding of Kant’s theories of matter,
from his earliest writings, via the Metaphysical Foundations of
Natural Science (MFNS), to the Opus postumum (OP).
https://www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/326517/kant-s-theories-of-matter
*Guest editors:*
Henny Blomme, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
henny....@ulb.be
Stephen Howard, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
how...@em.uni-frankfurt.de
*Special issue information:*
Although over the last few decades the literature has made great
advances in the interpretation and clarification of Kant’s
natural-scientific writings, numerous questions about Kant’s
conception of matter remain open. Famously, Kant’s views on matter
developed throughout his career, and in his mature writings he
defended what he called a dynamic theory of matter, which he opposed
to atomism. This special issue aims to further our understanding of
Kant’s theories of matter, either by deepening existing debates or by
opening new areas of investigation. It will feature both historical
work on the development of Kant’s views as well as systematic studies
of Kant’s arguments. Submissions could address issues including, but
not limited to, the following:
- What is the relationship between Kant’s early theory of matter in
the pre-critical writings, such as his Physical Monadology, and that
of the MFNS?
- How do Kant’s arguments for his theory of matter in the MFNS relate
to the table of categories?
- Can Kant convincingly argue that mechanical laws presuppose a
dynamic theory of matter, as he states at the beginning of the
Mechanics chapter?
- Given the strong connection that scholars have drawn between the
mechanics of MFNS and the Analogies of Experience within the first
Critique, must we establish an equally strong connection between the
matter theory of the Dynamics and the Principles of Pure Understanding?
- How is the General Remark to the Dynamics, and thus the specific
properties of matter, related to Kant’s metaphysics of matter?
- What is the role of the concept of an ether in Kant’s matter theory,
and how does it relate to Kant’s ether proofs in OP?
- How does Kant's so-called "balance argument" work and is it successful?
- How exactly is the Dynamics related to the Phoronomy chapter? Why
does Kant think that a dynamic theory of matter presupposes phoronomy,
and did he abandon this thought in the OP (as Tuschling argued)?
- How does Kant’s theory of matter relate to the debate over vis viva,
with which he engaged in his first published work?
- Where can we situate, within Kant’s theories of matter, a transition
from the conception of space-filling matter in general to material
bodies?
- Which historical sources of Kant’s theories of matter require
further attention? (Euler, Boscovich, Lambert …)
- Does a 'metaphysical construction' of the fundamental forces of
matter play any role in Kant’s presentation of these as vectorial
magnitudes?
*Manuscript submission information:*
You are invited to submit your manuscript at any time before the
submission deadline, 15 May 2026. For any inquiries about the
appropriateness of contribution topics, please contact Dr. Henny
Blomme (henny....@ulb.be) and Dr. Stephen Howard
(how...@em.uni-frankfurt.de).
The journal’s submission platform
(https://www.editorialmanager.com/shps/default.aspx) is now available
for receiving submissions to this Special Issue. Please refer to the
Guide for Authors
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/studies-in-history-and-philosophy-of-science/publish/guide-for-authors) to prepare your manuscript, and select the article type of “VSI: Kant’s Theories of Matter” when submitting your manuscript online. Both the Guide for Authors and the submission portal can be found on the Journal Homepage here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/studies-in-history-and-philosophy-of-science
All the submissions deemed suitable to be sent for peer review will be
reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. Upon its editorial
acceptance, your article will go into production immediately. It will
be published in the latest regular issue, while being simultaneously
presented on the specific Special Issue webpage. In regular issues,
Special Issue articles will be clearly marked and branded.
---
https://sites.google.com/view/stephenjhoward/
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