Gabrielle Émilie du Châtelet: o brilho intelectual por trás da tradução do Principia

For centuries, women have played significant roles in the fields of Philosophy and Science, but have faced little or no recognition. Their contributions have often been underestimated and undervalued by scientific societies in various historical periods. A brief survey revealed that there are few women portrayed in the literature regarding their contributions and life stories, when it comes to the field of Physics or related fields. Among the few prominent names is that of Gabrielle Émilie du Châtelet, who was the object of study of this work. The guiding question was: what factors were relevant, based on historical accounts, for Gabrielle Émilie du Châtelet to be able to make one of the main translations, with notes and mathematical verifications, of the work “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica” (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), also known as Principia, by Isaac Newton, from Latin to a vernacular language (French)? In this context, we conducted a bibliographical research, of a qualitative nature, which revealed that the following social factors were important: being born into a wealthy family; family factors: having had educational support from her father who encouraged her to learn foreign languages, Mathematics and Physics; the freedom provided by her husband after marriage, in addition to continuing her studies; personal factors: her ease of learning, her perseverance in the search for knowledge above the customs of her time, may have contributed to Gabrielle Émilie du Châtelet achieving recognition. Her studies on the works of Leibniz and Descartes contributed to her ability to translate and interpret complex concepts in the Principia, since much more than just knowledge of words was required to translate this work. Her dedication, until the last days of her life, was a factor that stood out as a woman who had an intellectual brilliance beyond her time. This research reinforces the relevance of Gabrielle Émilie du Châtelet's legacy not only as a translator, but as an intellectual who challenged the limitations imposed on women in her time, contributing significantly to the advancement of Science and the dissemination of Newton's thought.