Title: Newton as philosopher
First published: 2008
Description: Newton's philosophical views are unique and uniquely difficult to categorise. In the course of a long career from the early 1670s until his death in 1727, he articulated profound responses to Cartesian natural philosophy and to the prevailing mechanical philosophy of his day. Newton as Philosopher presents Newton as an original and sophisticated contributor to natural philosophy, one who engaged with the principal ideas of his most important predecessor, Rene Descartes, and of his most influential critic, G. W. Leibniz. Unlike Descartes and Leibniz, Newton was systematic and philosophical without presenting a philosophical system, but over the course of his life, he developed a novel picture of nature, our place within it, and its relation to the creator. This rich treatment of his philosophical ideas, the first in English for thirty years, will be of wide interest to historians of philosophy, science, and ideas.
Subjects: Philosophy of nature, History, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Newton, isaac, sir, 1642-1727, Philosophy, modern, 17th century, Philosophy, modern, 18th century
People: Isaac Newton Sir (1642-1727)
Time periods: 17th century, 18th century
LC classification: B1299.N34 J36 2008