The Call for Papers for the Special Issue on “Mechanical Philosophy Across Generations” in the Journal of Early Modern Studies is still open (deadline for abstracts: June 15).

We invite submissions for this special issue, which aims to offer a fresh reappraisal of the history of mechanical philosophy across different generations and contexts. In particular, we seek contributions that delve into, but are not limited to, the following issues: 

• Mechanical Philosophy and its Pre-History: What distinguishes early mechanical philosophers such as Descartes, Hobbes, and Gassendi from other earlier or contemporary alternatives to Aristotelianism? To what extent did later mechanical philosophers adopt, transform, or distance themselves from these alternative approaches in shaping their own conceptual frameworks? 
• Engaging with Aristotelianism: The rupture with the Aristotelian-scholastic tradition is canonically regarded as one of the defining features of mechanical philosophy. Yet this rupture did not manifest uniformly. With which specific Aristotelian traditions did the mechanical philosophers engage? Did this break always entail outright rejection, or did it sometimes involve processes of appropriation, transformation, or even reconciliation? What rhetorical, argumentative, and strategic devices did mechanical philosophers employ to position themselves in relation to Aristotelianism?
• Recovering Antiquity: Examining how mechanical philosophers invoked the authority of ancient sources in establishing illustrious precedents in natural philosophy. 
• Mechanical Philosophy and Mechanics: Exploring the contested relationship between mechanical philosophy and the science of mechanics. How did quantitative problem-solving and the analysis of machines interact with, diverge from, and influence causal mechanical explanations? 
• Shaping the Tradition: Exploring how different generations of mechanical philosophers, spanning from the early 17th century to the early 18th century, engage with the intellectual legacy of their predecessors. Do their critiques and reassessments indicate an internal evolution within the tradition of mechanical philosophy, or do they represent a rupture and opposition? 
• Mechanical Philosophy in Context: How did technological innovations, new institutional frameworks, and emerging publishing practices influence the development and transformation of mechanical philosophy? Should it be understood as a transnational tradition, or else do local, national, and social factors significantly shape its form and content? 
• Matter and Motion at Stake: Investigating the ways in which later mechanical philosophers dealt with the rise and growing prominence of alternative research programmes, most notably Newtonianism.