[hopos-g] CFP: Newton’s Mathematical Physics in the Eighteenth Century (October 2026)
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Marco Storni
3:53 AM (18 hours ago) 3:53 AM
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Dear colleagues,
I am delighted to share the announcement of a conference that will take place at ULB on 12 and 13 October 2026 on the theme "Newton’s Mathematical Physics in the Eighteenth Century: Circulations, Appropriations, Resistances."
This event will bring together scholars specialising in Isaac Newton's natural philosophy and its reception in the eighteenth century. Contributed papers will focus on the responses triggered by Newton's mathematical approach to the study of nature, and the ways in which these debates contributed to shaping modern natural philosophy and scientific culture more broadly.
Please see the Call for Papers below and don't hesitate to share it with your networks. The deadline to submit an abstract is 1 April 2026. For any inquiry, feel free to contact me at marco....@ulb.be.
Best wishes,
Marco Storni
**Newton’s Mathematical Physics in the Eighteenth Century: Circulations, Appropriations, Resistances**
ULB, Campus Solbosch
12-13 October 2026
Argument:
The diffusion of Isaac Newton’s natural philosophy during the eighteenth century profoundly reshaped the European intellectual landscape. It contributed to the rejection of earlier principles and methods, such as René Descartes’ mechanical philosophy, and the adoption of new ones, most notably the systematic use of mathematics in physics. Recent scholarship has emphasized that this transformation was far from uniform or uncontested. In fact, the reception of Newton’s theories gave rise to a wide range of appropriations, reinterpretations, and resistances, which were also associated with different intellectual, cultural, and political contexts.
This conference contributes to the renewed exploration of the complex processes through which Newton’s natural philosophy was adopted, debated and transformed in the eighteenth century. Focusing on the mathematical treatment of physical phenomena, the contributed papers will investigate how eighteenth-century philosophers and savants discussed the authority of mathematical reasoning in natural philosophy, and how their positions reflected broader tensions regarding expertise, education, and the societal roles of science. By adopting a longue durée perspective, the conference encourages to think the multifarious circulations, appropriations, and resistances to Newton’s mathematical physics from the publication of the first edition of the Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687) up to the end of the Ancien Régime. We warmly welcome submissions on marginal figures and contexts (regions, institutions, schools) that reflect in original ways on how to situate Newton’s legacy within the plural and fragmented landscape of Enlightenment thought.
Abstracts of maximum 500 words should be sent to marco....@ulb.be no later than 1 April 2026. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered for all speakers.
ULB, Campus Solbosch
12-13 October 2026
Argument:
The diffusion of Isaac Newton’s natural philosophy during the eighteenth century profoundly reshaped the European intellectual landscape. It contributed to the rejection of earlier principles and methods, such as René Descartes’ mechanical philosophy, and the adoption of new ones, most notably the systematic use of mathematics in physics. Recent scholarship has emphasized that this transformation was far from uniform or uncontested. In fact, the reception of Newton’s theories gave rise to a wide range of appropriations, reinterpretations, and resistances, which were also associated with different intellectual, cultural, and political contexts.
This conference contributes to the renewed exploration of the complex processes through which Newton’s natural philosophy was adopted, debated and transformed in the eighteenth century. Focusing on the mathematical treatment of physical phenomena, the contributed papers will investigate how eighteenth-century philosophers and savants discussed the authority of mathematical reasoning in natural philosophy, and how their positions reflected broader tensions regarding expertise, education, and the societal roles of science. By adopting a longue durée perspective, the conference encourages to think the multifarious circulations, appropriations, and resistances to Newton’s mathematical physics from the publication of the first edition of the Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687) up to the end of the Ancien Régime. We warmly welcome submissions on marginal figures and contexts (regions, institutions, schools) that reflect in original ways on how to situate Newton’s legacy within the plural and fragmented landscape of Enlightenment thought.
Abstracts of maximum 500 words should be sent to marco....@ulb.be no later than 1 April 2026. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered for all speakers.
The conference is organised as part of the research project "Responses to Newton’s Mathematical-Experimental Paradigm in 18th-Century Philosophy," which has received funding from the FWO and F.R.S.-FNRS under the Excellence of Science (EOS) programme.
Marco Storni
Postdoctoral researcher
Université libre de Bruxelles
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