RENAT. Reclaiming Nature. The Leibniz–Sturm Controversy and the Reconfiguration of Natural Laws, Force, and Agency in Early Modern Thought

This project reassesses Leibniz’s theory of nature through the lens of his "De ipsa natura" (1698) and the largely neglected controversy with Johann Christoph Sturm. "De ipsa natura (On Nature Itself)"—Leibniz’s last major published essay and the first to use the term “monad”- offers a concise yet rich presentation of his mature metaphysics, centered on force, dynamics, and the concept of nature. It arose in response to Sturm’s Boyle-inspired occasionalism and his denial of intrinsic causal powers in creatures, a position Leibniz countered by grounding natural laws in the active and passive powers of individual substances. The project situates this debate within broader early modern transformations of the notion of nature. Against mechanical philosophers who reduced natural explanation to laws and divine decree, Leibniz insists on the reality of inner principles of activity in finite beings, while rejecting both scholastic “faculties” and animist vitalism. By foregrounding neglected sources and debates, the project both clarifies Leibniz’s distinctive recovery of “nature” and enriches our understanding of early modern science and philosophy. Despite the significance of "De ipsa natura", no critical edition or comprehensive study exists. This project addresses that gap through four objectives: 1) An annotated edition and translation of the Leibniz–Sturm controversy and related texts. 2) A series of scholarly articles on central issues in "De ipsa natura", including Leibniz’s theory of forces and the heterogeneity argument against matter as pure extension. 3) A philosophical investigation of Leibniz conception of natural order and natural predicates. 4) A broader intellectual history of the concept of nature in early modern philosophy, using Leibniz as a lens to map debates across canonical figures (Boyle, Descartes, Malebranche, Newton, Spinoza) and lesser-known interlocutors (Sturm, Schelhammer).