Synopses & Reviews
Aside from the
Principia and occasional appearances of the
Opticks, Newton's writings have remained largely inaccessible to students of philosophy, science, and literature as well as to other readers. This book provides a remedy with wide representation of the interests, problems, and diverse philosophic issues that preoccupied the greatest scientific mind of the seventeenth century.
Grouped in sections corresponding to methods, principles, and theological considerations, these selections feature cross-references to related essays. Starting with an examination of the methods of natural philosophy and#8212; including the rules of reasoning, the formulation of hypotheses, and the experimental method and#8212; the essays explore the laws of motion and the relationships between God and gravity, creation, and universal design. Discussions of questions related to natural philosophy include theories on light, colors, and perceptions. The volume concludes with absorbing selections from the Opticks and a helpful series of historical and explanatory notes.
Synopsis
This book provides a wide representation of the interests, problems, and diverse philosophic issues that preoccupied the greatest scientific mind of the 17th century. Grouped in sections corresponding to methods, principles, and theological considerations, these selections feature explanatory notes and cross-references to related essays. 1953 edition.
Synopsis
This book provides a wide representation of the interests, problems, and diverse philosophic issues that preoccupied the greatest scientific mind of the 17th century. Grouped in sections corresponding to methods, principles, and theological considerations, these selections feature explanatory notes and cross-references to related essays. 1953 edition.
Synopsis
A wide, accessible representation of the interests, problems, and philosophic issues that preoccupied the great 17th-century scientist, this collection is grouped according to methods, principles, and theological considerations. 1953 edition.
Table of Contents
Editor's Preface
Introduction: What Isaac Newton Started
Selections from Newton
I. The Method of Natural Philosophy
and#160; 1. Rules of Reasoning in Philosophy
and#160; 2. On Hypotheses
and#160; 3. The Experimental Method
II. Fundamental Principles of Natural Philosophy
and#160; 1. Newton's Preface to the First Edition of the Principia
and#160; 2. Definitions and Scholium
and#160; 3. Axioms, or Laws of Motion
and#160; 4. The Motion of Bodies
III. God and Natural Philosophy
and#160; 1. General Scholium
and#160; 2. God and Gravity
and#160; 3. On Creation
and#160; 4. On Universal Design
IV. Questions on Natural Philosophy
and#160; 1. The New Theory about Light and Colors
and#160; 2. On the Science of Colors
and#160; 3. Hypothesis Touching on the Theory of Light and Colors
and#160; 4. Perception
and#160; 5. On Gravity
and#160; 6. Cotes' Preface to the Second Edition of the Principia
V. Questions from the "Optics"
Notes
Selected Bibliography