Newton’s Philosophy of Nature

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.

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 — including the rules of reasoning, the formulation of hypotheses, and the experimental method — 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.

Editor's PrefaceIntroduction: What Isaac Newton StartedSelections from NewtonI. The Method of Natural Philosophy 1. Rules of Reasoning in Philosophy 2. On Hypotheses 3. The Experimental MethodII. Fundamental Principles of Natural Philosophy 1. Newton's Preface to the First Edition of the Principia 2. Definitions and Scholium 3. Axioms, or Laws of Motion 4. The Motion of BodiesIII. God and Natural Philosophy 1. General Scholium 2. God and Gravity 3. On Creation 4. On Universal DesignIV. Questions on Natural Philosophy 1. The New Theory about Light and Colors 2. On the Science of Colors 3. Hypothesis Touching on the Theory of Light and Colors 4. Perception 5. On Gravity 6. Cotes' Preface to the Second Edition of the PrincipiaV. Questions from the "Optics"NotesSelected Bibliography