Newton’s notion and practice of unification

Abstract: In this paper I deal with a neglected topic with respect to unification in Newton’s Principia. I will clarify Newton’s notion (as can be found in Newton’s utterances on unification) and practice of unification (its actual occurrence in his scientific work). In order to do so, I will use th...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Studies in History & Philosophy of Science Part A Vol. 36; no. 1; pp. 61 - 79
Autor principal: Ducheyne, Steffen
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Elsevier B.V. Mar2005
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:Abstract: In this paper I deal with a neglected topic with respect to unification in Newton’s Principia. I will clarify Newton’s notion (as can be found in Newton’s utterances on unification) and practice of unification (its actual occurrence in his scientific work). In order to do so, I will use the recent theories on unification as tools of analysis (Kitcher, Salmon and Schurz). I will argue, after showing that neither Kitcher’s nor Schurz’s account aptly capture Newton’s notion and practice of unification, that Salmon’s later work is a good starting point for analysing this notion and its practice in the Principia. Finally, I will supplement Salmon’s account in order to answer the question at stake.