Kant's Justification of Newtonian Science

University Of California-San Diego, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

The project is a study of Kant's justification of Newtonian science. It shows how Kant's justification of Newtonian science is a justification not of the fundamental principles of Newton's Principia, but rather of Newtonian science, that is, how Newton's Principia was received in 18th century Germany. Given the rich array of ways in which various figures attempted to come to terms with Newtonian science, the project illustrates how Kant's attempt at justifying Newtonian science most closely resemble projects by those with significant interests in metaphysics (e.g., Leibnizians such as Wolff, Knutzen, Gottsched). Kant sees the need to develop non-empirical justifications of Newtonian principles and to articulate an ontology that is compatible with Newtonian physics (given his rejection of Newtonian absolute space and time). The results of this project should benefit anyone interested in the history of philosophy of science, the history of science, and the history of philosophy, and, in general, to those interested in understanding the complex relations among natural science and philosophy.