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Questions tagged [newton]

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The problem of Motion

I recently heard that motion, the observation that things move, or rather change, was considered a real philosophical problem. What is the status of that question? Can someone e point me to an essay that describes why exactly that was (perhaps still…
Mike M
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Did Kant consider Newtonian mechanics a priori?

Did Kant take Newtonian physics as being synthetic a priori? I get the feeling he did. If he did, how did he justify this, it seems like a huge blunder for such a careful thinker. I mean... Kant answered how we get notions of cause and effect...…
Ameet Sharma
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Maudlin and Chomsky on Newton and the shift toward "unintellgible" science

My questions arise after listening to Chomsky and Tim Maudlin talk about Newton's theories. Maudlin: "it turns out that at this moment in history [now] the physicists have to a large extent either abandoned or are not very good at addressing…
J Kusin
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Does Newton's first law of motion contradicts causality?

First, English is not my mother tongue and hence maybe the expressions I will use are not very accurate. Causality as I understand is when there is a change, then there is a preceding event "caused" that change to occur. If I understand right then I…
Mohamed Mostafa
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Does Alvin Plantinga's solution to the problem of divine action entail a total denial of the applicability of Newtonian physics to the world?

Alvin Plantinga offers at least two major solutions to the problem of divine action; that physical laws of the Newtonian sort are (often implicitly) qualified to apply only to causally closed systems, and that quantum physics has overtaken Newtonian…
user22111
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Newton and Kant about 'Absolute Space'

Newton starts his book The Mathematical Principals of Natural Philosophy, 1687 II. Absolute space, in its own nature, without regard to anything external, remains always similar and immovable. Kant starts his book The Metaphysical Foundations…
Jo Wehler
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Why didn't Newton pursue philosophy?

Why didn't he pursue philosophy in the same way Leibniz did, many "natural philosophers" during that time often delved into many fields since it wasn't really required to specialize yet, but it seems like Newton did not care for philosophy or the…
user4281
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Why is there a (modern) debate between absolutists and relativists in (neo-)Newtonian spacetime?

I'm reading "Time and Space" by Dainton, and it gives a lengthy discussion on the different views on Newtonian and neo-Newtonian spacetime, arguing that absolutists and relativists (or substantivalists and relationists) have different arguments for…
Mauro Giliberti
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What were Hegel's criticisms of Newton?

I recently read this thread THREAD describing the relationship between Hegel and Newton. Apparently, Hegel misread Newton's principia, and criticized a specific point of science on Newton. This is detailed on the thread's reference to Mauro Nasti…
jeffersons
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Validity of physical laws and observation

I am placing this question on philosophy stack exchange because a mathematician wouldn't care, and a physicist would be extremely insulted. Consider Newton's Law F=ma. First, I am observing this as a definition of force. from a philosophical…
user46399