My research concentrates on epistemology and metaphysics in early modern philosophy, particularly in skepticism and theories of free will. I have especial interest in researching non-canonical philosophers and topics that fall a bit off the typical historical tracks.
My current postdoctoral research project considers the influence that women philosophers have had on skeptical discussions in the early modern period. During 2022-2024, I researched this project at the University of Iowa with funding by the Finnish Post Doc -pool (total funding 95.000€), concentrating on Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) and Margaret Cavendish (1623-1673). In the future, I will extend this research to Mary Shepherd (1777-1847) and her influnece on later skeptical and anti-skeptical discussions. This research will likewise bridge skeptical discussions in the history of philosophy and contemporary epistemology by comparing Shepherd's anti-skeptical solution to Wittgensteinian Hinge Epistemology.
I have likewise recently developed an interest in the history of paleontology, particularly in paleontological findings and theories in the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as in the philosophy of dinosaurs. These research interests can be considered to fall into the history and philosophy of science.
My latest project is translating Margaret Cavendish into Finnish, for which I have a publication agreement with Gaudeamus, the main academic publisher in Finland. The project will result in the first publication of Cavendish's philosophy and creative writing in Finnish around autumn 2028. The translation project is funded by Oskar Öflund Stiftelse.
Works in progress:
Article on Margaret Cavendish's relationship to the skeptical movement, reading her as a mitigated skeptic
Article on the similarities and differences between Émilie Du Châtelet’s “On Freedom” and a previous text titled Traité de Metaphysique (with Jani Hakkarainen)
Article on Teresa of Ávila's mystical experience and her call for intellectual clarity (and on her possible influence on Descartes)
Article on Mary Shepherd on causation and external world skepticism
Article on Descartes's concept of the freedom of the will, arguing him supporting both spontaneity and indifference
Article on fossils in early modern natural philosophy
A possible article project on an 18th century French translation of Christian Wolff's German Metaphysics (with Christian Henkel and Jani Hakkarainen)
Near-future work:
Manuscript proposal on Descartes's skepticism in the Meditations as a meditative exercise in the style of 16th century catholic mysticism, based on my dissertation.
Drafts can be requested by email.
Peer reviewed Scientific Articles
Forsman, Jan: (forthcoming a) “Mary Shepherd and Wittgensteinian Hinge Epistemology” in Hagengruber, Ruth E.; Hecht, Hartmut & Prätör Klaus (eds.): They Were Ahead of Their Time, De Gruyter.
Forsman Jan: (forthcoming b) “Margaret Cavendish,” Encyclopedia Logos.
Forsman, Jan: (2025) “Margaret Cavendish on Dreaming,” Acta Philosophica Fennica Vol. 102, 269–296.
Forsman, Jan & Hakkarainen, Jani: (2025a) “Émilie Du Châtelet’n Vapaudesta 1700-luvun unohtuneena tekstinä: filosofis-historiallinen luenta (Émilie Du Châtelet’s On Freedom as an 18th century forgotten text: a philosophical-historical reading)” in Kivistö, Sari; Kärkelä, Katariina; Pihl, Erika & Välimäki, Isa (ed.): Unohtuneet kirjoitukset: katoaminen kirjallisuushistoriassa (Forgotten writings: Disappearance in literary history), SKS kirjat, 229–251.
Forsman, Jan & Hakkarainen, Jani: (2025b) “Émilie Du Châtelet on Freedom: The Wolffian Context” in Carus, Clara & McDonough, Jeff (eds.): Emilie Du Châtelet in Relation to Leibniz and Wolff: Similarities and Differences, Springer, 155–176.
Forsman, Jan: (2023a) “Teresa’s Demons: Teresa of Ávila’s Influence on the Cartesian Skeptical Scenario of Deceiving Demon,” Journal of the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists, Vol. 2, No. 4, 25–45.
Forsman, Jan: (2023b) “Madness and Dream in Descartes’s First Meditation” in Baldassari, Fabrizio (ed.): Descartes and Medicine: Problems, Responses, and Survival of a Cartesian Discipline, Brepols, 215–228.
Forsman, Jan: (2019) “Can an Atheist know that He Exists? Cogito, Mathematics, and God in Descartes’s Meditations,” International Journal for Study of Skepticism, Vol. 9, No. 2, 91–115.
Forsman, Jan: (2017) “Descartes on Will and Suspension of Judgment: Affectivity of the Reasons for Doubt” in Boros, Gábor; Szalai, Judit & Tóth, Olivér István (eds.): The Concept of Affectivity in Early Modern Philosophy, Eötvös University Press, 38–58.
Forsman, Jan: (2016) “Mahdollisuus, välttämättömyys ja luodut ikuiset totuudet Descartesin filosofiassa (Possibility, Necessity and Created Eternal Truths in Descartes’s Philosophy)” in Niiniluoto, Ilkka; Tahko, Tuomas & Toppinen, Teemu (eds.): Mahdollisuus, Philosophical Society of Finland, 120–129.
Forsman, Jan: (2015) “Tahto ja arvostelmasta pidättäytyminen Descartesin filosofiassa (Will and the Suspension of Judgment in Descartes’s Philosophy),” Ajatus 72: Suomen Filosofisen Yhdistyksen vuosikirja 2015, Philosophical Society of Finland, 15–51.
Peer reviewed Books
Forsman, Jan (ed.): (forthcoming) Margaret Cavendish: Filosofisia kirjoituksia (Margaret Cavendish: Philosophical Writings), Gaudeamus.
Non-Peer reviewed Scientific Articles
2025 “Free Will and Theological Mysticism: Émilie Du Châtelet Between Descartes and Wolff” in Forsman, Jan & Slavov, Matias (eds.): Contemporary Perspectives and Historical Dimensions: A Festschrift in Honor of Jani Hakkarainen, Tampere University, 171–198.
2021 “Epäily, skeptisismi ja arvostelmasta pidättäytyminen Descartesin Mietiskelyissä (Doubt, skepticism, and suspension of judgment in Descartes’s Meditations),” Lectio praecursoria 19.2.2021, Ajatus 78: Suomen Filosofisen Yhdistyksen vuosikirja 2021, Philosophical Society of Finland, 301–306.
2018 “Descartes and Suspension of Judgment: Considerations of Cartesian Skepticism and Epoché,” Proceedings of the XXIII World Congress of Philosophy 70, Greek Philosophical Society, 15–20.
Non-Peer reviewed Books
Forsman, Jan & Slavov, Matias (eds.): (2025) Contemporary Perspectives and Historical Dimensions: A Festschrift in Honor of Jani Hakkarainen, Tampere University.
Scientific Book Reviews
Forthcoming review of Alison Peterman: “Cavendish” (Routledge, London 2025), Journal of the History of Philosophy.
2022 “Historiallisten naisfilosofien esiinmarssi (Emergence of Historical Women Philosophers),” combined review of Martina Reuter (ed.): “Miesvaltaa murtamassa,” (Gaudeamus, Helsinki 2021) Rebecca Buxton & Lisa Whiting (eds.): “Filosofian kuningattaret (The Philosopher Queens),” (niin & näin, Tampere 2021) and Torsti Lehtinen: “Sofian Sisaret (Sisters of Sophia),” (Into, Helsinki 2020), niin & näin, no. 114, 3/2022, Eurooppalaisen filosofian seura ry, 148–150.
2021 “Miesvallan murtajat (Breakers of Patriarchy),” review of Martina Reuter (ed.): “Miesvaltaa murtamassa: Varhaisten feministien filosofisia kirjoituksia (Bringing Down the Patriarchy: Philosophical Writings of Early Feminists),” (Gaudeamus, Helsinki 2021), Tieteessä tapahtuu, 5/2021, Tieteellisten seurain valtuuskunta, 79–81.
2017 “Epäilijöitä ja tiedon etsijöitä (Doubters and Knowledge Seekers),” review of Malin Grahn-Wilder (ed.): “Skeptisismi: Epäilyn ja etsimisen filosofia,” (Gaudeamus, Helsinki 2016), Ajatus 74: Suomen Filosofian Yhdistyksen vuosikirja 2017, Philosophical Society of Finland, 327–341.
2017 “Tietoa etsimässä (In the Search for Knowledge)” review of Malin Grahn-Wilder (ed.): “Skeptisismi: Epäilyn ja etsimisen filosofia (Skepticism: The Philosophy of Doubting and Searching),” (Gaudeamus, Helsinki 2016) niin & näin, no. 93, 2/2017, Eurooppalaisen filosofian seura ry, 150–151.
2015 “Utopian jäljillä (On the Trail of Utopia)”, review of Keijo Lakkala: “Utopia tänään: Yhteiskunnallisen mielikuvituksen metodologiaa (Utopia Today: Methodology of Social Imagination),” (Kampus Kustannus, Jyväskylä 2014) Tieteessä tapahtuu, vol. 33, no. 6, Tieteellisten seurain valtuuskunta, 77–80.
Conference Reports
2016 “Lähelle on pitkä matka – Muistoja Barcelonan ja Tampereen Yliopistojen kohtaamisesta (It’s a long way to get near – Memories from the meeting of the Universities of Barcelona and Tampere)”, conference report, Paatos, 17.3.2016.
2013 “Metafyysisiä mietelmiä (Metaphysical Meditations)”, conference report, niin & näin, no. 78, 3/2013, Eurooppalaisen filosofian seura ry, 125.
Theses
2021 Of Dreams, Demons, and Whirlpools: Doubt, Skepticism and Suspension of Judgment in Descartes’s Meditations, Tampere University. (Public defense: 19.2.2021).
2012 Descartesin epäilyn metodi (Descartes’s Method of Doubt), Masters’s Thesis, University of Tampere.
2009 Transsendentaalisuuden porteilla: Descartesin epäilyn metodi tarkasteltuna Husserlin transsendentaalifilosofiaa ja luonnollisen asenteen kritiikkiä vasten (On the Gates of Trancendentalism: Descartes’s Method of Doubt compared with Husserl’s transcendental philosophy and critique of natural attitude), Bachelor's Thesis, University of Tampere.
1.8.2026 Cavendish on Panpsychism and Inanimate Life, 4th Cavendish Collective Virtual Workshop.
27.-31.7.2026 Émilie Du Châtelet’s “On Freedom” and Voltaire’s Traité de Metaphysique, Libori Summer School, Center of the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists, University of Paderborn, Germany.
23.7.2026 Dinosaurusten filosofia (Philosophy of Dinosaurs), XVI Puistofilosofia, Ikaalinen, Finland.
18.-19.6.2026 Mary Shepherd on Causation and External World Skepticism, Northern Seminar in Late Modern Philosophy II, University of Durham, England.
25.6.2024 Giants, Unicorns, and Lovemaking Rocks: Fossils in Early Modern Natural Philosophy (45 min), Philosophy of Paleosciences Online Roadshow.
7.3.2024 Margaret Cavendish and Skepticism (45 min), Eastern Michigan University.
17.11.2023 Margaret Cavendish and Skepticism (45 min), Department of Philosophy Colloquium, University of Utah.
20.4.2023 Margaret Cavendish and Skepticism (45 min), University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
20.5.2021 Taking Skepticism Seriously: Descartes’s Mehditations as a Cognitive Exercise and the Cartesian Epochē (45 min), Skepticism Lecture Seriers: Session V, online-event.
27.-28.5.2026 Émilie Du Châtelet’s “On Freedom” and Voltaire’s Traité de Metaphysique, McMaster-Oulu Workshop, University of Oulu, Finland.
23.-25.4.2026 Émilie Du Châtelet’s “On Freedom” and Voltaire’s Traité de Metaphysique, British Society for History of Philosophy 2026 Conference, King’s College, England.
19.7.2025 Margaret Cavendish on Dreaming, 3rd Cavendish Collective Virtual Workshop.
23.-25.6.2025 Margaret Cavendish on Dreaming, Red Latinoamericana de Estudios sobre Filósofas en la Historia, Universidad Nacional de la Plata, Argentina.
21.-22.3.2025 Émilie Du Châtelet’s “On Freedom” and Voltaire’s Traité de Metaphysique, Du Châtelet’s Theoretical Philosophy in Context -conference, University College Dublin, Ireland.
20.-22. and 27.2.-1.3.2025 Margaret Cavendish and Skepticism, APA Central Division Meeting, online conference.
23.-24.1.2025 Unennäkö Margaret Cavendishin filosofiassa (Dreaming in Margaret Cavendish’s philosophy), The Philosophical Society of Finland Annual Colloquium 2025, University of Helsinki, Finland.
12.-13.12.2024 Margaret Cavendish and the Fame of Skepticism in the 17th Century, International Margaret Cavendish Society Conference, University of Seville, Spain.
28.-29.9.2024 Teresa of Ávila and Descartes on Intellectual Clarity, 14th Nordic Workshop in Early Modern Philosophy, University of Tartu, Estonia.
1.-8.8.2024 Margaret Cavendish’s Mitigated Skepticism, 25th World Congress of Philosophy, Rome, Italy.
25.7-26.7.2024 Margaret Cavendish and Skepticism, Cavendish: Mind, Consciousness, and Perception –online workshop, organized by Center for the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists.
15.6.2024 Margaret Cavendish’s Mitigated Skepticism, 2nd Cavendish Collective Virtual Workshop.
27.-28.4.2024 Mary Shepherd on Causation and External World Skepticism, NYC Workshop in Early Modern Philosophy, Fordham University, New York City.
21.-23.3.2024 Margaret Cavendish and Skepticism, 70th Renaissance Society of America Meeting, Chicago.
21.2.-24.2.2024 Teresa’s Demons: Teresa of Ávila’s Influence on the Cartesian Skeptical Scenario of Demonic Deception, APA Central Division Meeting, New Orleans.
28.-30.9.2022 Du Châtelet’s “On Freedom” as a Response to Wolffian Spontaneity, with Senior Lecturer Jani Hakkarainen (Tampere University), Émilie Du Châtelet in Relation to Leibniz and Wolff – Similarities and Differences, Paderborn University, Germany.
18.-20.11.2020 Madness & Dream in Descartes’s First Meditation, VivaMente 2020: Medicine in the Philosophy of Descartes – Lights and Shadows.