.ALEXANDRE KOYRENewtonian StudiesC H A PM A N & H A LLLONDON 1965.First published in 1965 1965 by the Presidentand Fellows o f Harvard CollegePrinted in Great Britain for Chapman & Hall Ltd,11 New Fetter Lane London E.C.4 by Billing and Sons Ltd Guildford and London ContentsI. THE SIG N IFIC A N CE OF THE NEW TONIAN SYNTHESISLecture, University of Chicago, November 3,1948; published in Archives Internationales d'Histoire des Sciences 3 (1950), 291-311; reprinted in Journal o f General Education 4 (1950), 256-268page 5II. CON CEPT AND EXPERIENCE IN NEW TONS 25SC IEN TIFIC THOUGHTOriginally published as LHypothese et Iexperience chez Newton, Bulletin de la Societe Frangaise de Philo- sophie 50 (1956), 59-79.III.
Koyre Alexandre Pensar La Ciencia. Victoria Soto. Download with Google Download with Facebook or download with email. Koyre Alexandre Pensar La Ciencia. Koyre Alexandre Pensar La.
NEW TON AND DESCARTES 53Study based on a Horblit Lecture on the History of Science, Harvard University, March 8, 1961.APPENDICESA Huygens and Leibniz on Universal Attraction B Attraction an Occult Quality? C Gravity an Essential Property of Matter?D The Void and Extension E Rohault and Clarke on Attraction F Copernicus and Kepler on Gravity G Gassendi on Attraction and Gravity H Hooke on Gravitational Attraction I Gassendi and Horizontal Motion J The State of Motion and the State of Rest K Descartes on the Infinite and the Indefinite L God and the Infinite M Motion, Space, and PlaceV192195198.CONTENTSIV. N EW TO N, G ALILEO, AND PLATORead at the IXth International Congress of History of Science in Madrid, 1959; first published in Actes du IX^ Congres International d'Histoire des Sciences (1960), 165-197; reprinted in Annales 6 (1960), 1041-1059.201V. AN U N PU BLISH ED LETTER OF ROBERT HOOKE TO ISAAC NEW TONPublished in Isis 43 (1952), 312-337.VI. N e w t o n s r e g u l a e p h i l o s o p h a n d i Published in Archives Internationales d'Histoire des Sciences 13 (I960), 3-14.VII. A TTR A C TIO N, N EW TO N, AND COTESPublished in Archives Internationales d'Histoire des Sciences 74 (1961), 225-236.Index83VIPrefaceThe following collection of Newtonian Studies comprises essays written during the last dozen years, each illustrating a diSerent aspect of Newtons scientific thought.
Although each one was written separately and is to be considered independent of all the others, the ensemble is, nevertheless, unified by more than the mere fact that each essay deals with an aspect of the thought of the same man. The central theme is the illustration by means of conceptual analysis of the way in which fundamental scientific ideas are at the same time related to the main currents of philosophical thought and yet determined by empirical controls.All of these essays save one (Newton and Descartes) have been previously published, but each is here presented with some additional material. This may consist of slight revisions, additions to bring certain discussions up to date in the light of current research, or in some cases merely the citation of recent studies which may add new dimensions to several of the points discussed.Three of the essays, Newton, Galileo, and Plato, Newtons Regulae Philosophandi, and Concept and Experience in Newtons Scientific Thought (originally LHypothese et Iexperience chez Newton), first printed in French, are given here in English translation. Newton and Descartes, hitherto unpublished, is based on the third Horblit Lecture on the History of Science at Harvard University.
I should like to express my thanks to Mr. Horblit, founder of these lectures, and the Committee on History of Science at Harvard University for the privilege of having been invited to participate in this series. For publication I have greatly expanded the text of the lecture and have added a considerable number of notes and appendices.
This study explores but a small part, although a most significant one, of the relations between these two great men. It does not go into any details concerning a number of obvious contactsvii.PREFACEbetween Newton and Descartes. For instance, I do not study the relations between the geometry of Descartes and the geometrical methods of Newton which were conceived on the Greek model.Finally, I should like to express my gratitude to those who have helped to prepare the manuscript for book publication. Cohen of Harvard University, Mrs. Kessler and Mr. Collins of Cambridge, Massachusetts and Mme. Mimica Cranaki Belaval of Paris.A.
K oyreParis, 20 January 1964Newtonian StudiesProfessor Koyre died in Paris on 28 April 1964. Prior to his death, he had carefully gone over each chapter, revising the typescript of Newton and Descartes, checking the translations of the French articles, and expanding and rewriting considerable portions of the articles printed in English. Thus the versions published here represent his final wishes.Vlll.The Significance of the Newtonian SynthesisIIt is obviously utterly impossible to give in a brief space a detailed history of the birth, growth, and decay of the Newtonian world view. It is just as impossible even to give a reasonably complete account of the work performed by Newton himself.^ Thus, by necessity, I am obliged to restrict myself to the very essentials and to give the barest outline of the subject. Moreover, in doing so I will assume a certain amount of previous knowledge.