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III.1 - After the Principia

Justifying a Science of Properties and the Invention of ‘Newtonianism’

from Part III - Isaac Newton and the Emancipation of Natural Philosophy from Metaphysics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2022

Dmitri Levitin
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
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Summary

This chapter explores the development of Newton’s methodological thought up to c.1700, as well as that of his first followers. Newton’s caution in not antagonising Huygens in particular is highlighted. It was only in this decade that Newton started to emphasise the natural-theological significance of his natural philosophy, especially in manuscripts related to the Classical Scholia. But there was no metaphysical component; rather, Newton insisted on the analogical predication of the divine. Even more important was his reconsideration of the Hypotheses of the first edition, which eventually became the Rules of Philosophising of the second. It is shown that these were not abstract methodological principles, but rather a set of dialectical arguments designed to negate the possibility of weightless matter. Nonetheless, they shaped Newton methodological agenda and language for the rest of his life. His position was understood perfectly by his earliest follows: David Gregory and John Keill, both of whom were teaching in Oxford.

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The Kingdom of Darkness
Bayle, Newton, and the Emancipation of the European Mind from Philosophy
, pp. 577 - 652
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • After the Principia
  • Dmitri Levitin, University of Oxford
  • Book: The Kingdom of Darkness
  • Online publication: 23 March 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108934152.013
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  • After the Principia
  • Dmitri Levitin, University of Oxford
  • Book: The Kingdom of Darkness
  • Online publication: 23 March 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108934152.013
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • After the Principia
  • Dmitri Levitin, University of Oxford
  • Book: The Kingdom of Darkness
  • Online publication: 23 March 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108934152.013
Available formats
×