Abstract
In the preceding chapters I have dealt with Newton’s methodology in a systematic rather than strictly chronological fashion. In this brief chapter, I wish to provide a general chronological overview of Newton’s methodological itinerary – thereby summoning together the material we have discussed previously. For this purpose, I shall divide the development of Newton’s methodology in four phases.
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Notes
- 1.
See Sections 1.4–1.5 in Chapter 1.
- 2.
Cohen, ed., Isaac Newton’s Papers and Letters on Natural Philosophy, p. 51 [italics added].
- 3.
Shapiro, ed., The Optical Papers of Isaac Newton, I, p. 523 [italics added].
- 4.
See Section 4.4 in Chapter 4.
- 5.
However, as we have seen, in the Principia a different notion of causation was at play: counterfactual-nomological dependency.
- 6.
Newton to Oldenburg, 11 June 1672, Newton, Correspondence, I, p. 174.
- 7.
Newton to Oldenburg, 3 April 1673, ibid., I, p. 264. Cf. Newton’s second optical paper (ibid., I, pp. 373–374).
- 8.
Newton to Oldenburg, 6 February 1671/2, ibid., I, pp. 96–97 [underscore added].
- 9.
Newton to Oldenburg, 6 July 1672, ibid., I, p. 209.
- 10.
Newton to Oldenburg, 11 June 1672, ibid., I, pp. 187–188 [underscore added].
- 11.
Shapiro, ed., The Optical Papers of Isaac Newton, I, pp. 87/89.
- 12.
Newton to Oldenburg for Pardies, 10 June, 1672, Newton, Correspondence, I, p. 164.
- 13.
The distinctive features of Newton’s methodology have been outlined in Section 2.6 in Chapter 2 and in Section 3.6 in Chapter 3.
- 14.
See Section 2.5.1 in Chapter 2.
- 15.
Whiteside, ed., The Mathematical Papers of Isaac Newton, VI, pp. 34 ff.
- 16.
Ibid., VI, pp. 122–127.
- 17.
See Section 2.5.4 in Chapter 2.
- 18.
See, respectively, ibid., Corollaries 2–3 to Proposition III, pp. 126–129 and pp. 180–187.
- 19.
Proposition XLV in: ibid., VI, pp. 369–383.
- 20.
See Section 2.5.2 in Chapter 2.
- 21.
See Section 1.6 in Chapter 1.
- 22.
See Section 4.10 in Chapter 4.
- 23.
See Section 4.5 in Chapter 4.
- 24.
PrE 1, p. 402.
- 25.
Newton, The Principia, p. 794.
- 26.
Ibid., p. 795.
- 27.
Ibid., p. 796.
- 28.
Cotes to Newton, 18 March 1712/13, Newton, Correspondence, V, pp. 391–394, p. 392.
- 29.
Draft of Newton to Cotes, 28 March 1713, Newton, Correspondence, V, pp. 398–399.
- 30.
Newton, The Opticks, p. 404; OE 2, p. 380.
- 31.
CUL Add. Ms. 3965, f. 419v [additions and corrections to the second edition of the Principia].
- 32.
Ibid.
References
Newton, I. 1671/2. New theory of about light and colors. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 6(19 February; no 80):3075–3087.
Newton, I. 1687. Principia mathematica philosophiae naturalis. London: Jussu Societatis Regiæ ac Typis Josephi Streater.
Newton, I. 1717. The opticks, or, a treatise of the reflections, refractions, inflections and colours of light, the second edition, with additions. London: William and John Innys.
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Ducheyne, S. (2012). Uncovering the Methodology of the Principia (III): A Brief Chronology of Newton’s Methodological Itinerary. In: “The main Business of natural Philosophy”. Archimedes, vol 29. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2126-5_5
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