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Genre/Form: | History |
---|---|
Named Person: | Isaac Newton; Benedictus de Spinoza; Isaac Newton; Benedictus de Spinoza; Isaac Newton; Benedictus de Spinoza |
Document Type: | Book |
All Authors / Contributors: |
Eric Schliesser |
ISBN: | 9780197567692 019756769X |
OCLC Number: | 1268276840 |
Description: | xv, 306 pages ; 25 cm |
Contents: | Introduction. Without God : gravity as a relational quality of matter in Newton's treatise -- Newton's substance monism, distant action, and the nature of Newton's empiricism -- Postscript to Chapter 2. On reading Newton as an Epicurean : Kant, Spinozism, and changes to the Principia -- Newton and Spinoza : on motion and matter (and God, of course) with Mary Domski -- Newtonian emanation, Spinozism, measurement and the Baconian origins of the laws of nature -- The certainty, modality, and grounding of Newton's laws with Zvi Biener -- Newton's philosophy of time -- Postscript to Chapter 7. Newton's modal metaphysics and polemics with Spinozism in the "General Scholium" -- The Posidonian argument : the presupposition of design in natural philosophy. |
Responsibility: | Eric Schliesser. |
Abstract:
Reviews
Publisher Synopsis
In this wonderful collection of essays, Eric Schliesser embarks on an ambitious and long-awaited intellectual project: charting the complex and subtle nuances of the metaphysical view underpinning Newton's physics. In his characteristically visionary style, Schliesser invites us to explore the modal metaphysics at work behind Newton's notion of gravity, motion and laws of nature. The result is a fascinating and unrivalled journey through a less well-known Newton, onewho did not shy away from engaging with metaphysical debates about necessity, chance and fatalism, and whose far-reaching contributions extend well beyond the realm of natural philosophy. This book is a gem for anyone interested in historical debates at the conjunction between physics andmetaphysics. * Michela Massimi, University of Edinburgh * This book provides rich new insights into Newton's metaphysics and philosophical theology. By placing Newton's thought in the context of early modern philosophy-and, in particular, the controversy over Spinozistic 'atheism'-Schliesser succeeds in illuminating a variety of puzzling issues not only about Newton but about a number of Newton's contemporaries, including Toland, Clarke, and Bentley. This book is highly recommended not only to Newton scholars, but to anyonewith an interest in early modern philosophy. * Kenneth L. Pearce, Trinity College Dublin * Schliesser's essays are at the cutting edge of current research on Newton's philosophy. Important interpretive issues in Newton's treatment of space, causation, gravity, scientific method, and the role of God in the natural world are here addressed by one of the world's leading experts. The contributions to our understanding of Newton's treatment of time and of the relationship of his system of thought to Spinoza's are especially noteworthy. The breadth of the topicswill encourage many readers interested in philosophy and science who have not yet studied Newton to discover reasons that they should. * Alan Nelson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill * Read more...

