ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I examine Émilie du Châtelet’s practical philosophy to make the claim to her greatness as a philosopher. Specifically, I argue that she joins a long line of philosophers in the early modern period interested in thinking about the human mind and one’s ownership of one’s own thoughts and mind, and she applies these ideas to women. Moreover, unlike some of her early modern counterparts, du Châtelet’s disengaging her thoughts on these subjects from a strong theological underpinning opens up for her possibilities for greater activism against social norms that are detrimental to women and their happiness.
