The Enlightenment's Most Dangerous Woman: milie du Chtelet and the Making of M [Hardcover]

Just as the Enlightenment was gaining momentum throughout Europe, philosopher ?milie Du Ch?telet broke through the many barriers facing women at the time and published a major philosophical treatise in French. Within a few short years, she became famous: she was read and debated from Russia to Prussia, from Switzerland to England, from up north in Sweden to down south in Italy. Her proclamation that a true philosopher must remain an independent thinker, rather than a disciple of some supposedly great man like Isaac Newton or Ren? Descartes, posed a threat to an emerging consensus in the Enlightenment Because of the threat that she posed to the status quo, the men who created the modern philosophy canon eventually wrote Du Ch?telet out of their official histories. Now we can hear her voice anew when we need her more than ever. Her lessons of intellectual independence and her rejection of hero worship remain ever relevant today.Suppressed for centuries, the ideas of French philosopher ?milie Du Ch?telet are ever relevant today...Just as the Enlightenment was gaining momentum throughout Europe, philosopher ?milie Du Ch?telet broke through the many barriers facing women at the time and published a major philosophical treatise in French. Within a few short years, she became famous: she was read and debated from Russia to Prussia, from Switzerland to England, from up north in Sweden to down south in Italy. This was not just remarkable because she was a woman, but because of the substance of her contributions. While the men in her milieu like Voltaire and Kant sought disciples to promote their ideas, Du Ch?telet promoted intellectual autonomy. She counselled her readers to read the classics, but never to become a follower of another's ideas. Her proclamation that a true philosopher must remain an independent thinker, rather than a disciple of some supposedly great man like Isaac Newton or Ren? Descartes, posed a threat to an emerging consensus in the Elð