Abstract
The interpretation of Newton’s methodology seems to lead to an inevitable dilemma: many texts are in favour of an inductivist and empiricist interpretation, others seem to imply a kind of rationalism. The dilemma cannot be solved, I think, by looking for agreements between Newton’s methodological statements and our definitions of “inductivism” or “deductivism.” More clarity will be achieved, in my opinion, by analysing his reaction to important experiments and by comparing this reaction with those of his predecessors or contemporaries.
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Sarlemijn, A. (1988). Newton’s Pendulum Experiment and Specific Characteristics of his Scientific Method in Physics. In: Scheurer, P.B., Debrock, G. (eds) Newton’s Scientific and Philosophical Legacy. Archives Internationales D’Histoire des Idées / International Archives of the History of Ideas, vol 123. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2809-1_6
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