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- Title
Rational Mechanics in the Eighteenth Century. On Structural Developments of a Mathematical Science.
- Authors
Pulte, Helmut
- Abstract
The role of mathematics in eighteenth-century science and of eighteenth-century philosophy of science can hardly be overestimated. However, philosophy of science frequently described and analysed this role in an anachronistic manner by projecting modern points of view about (formal) mathematics and (empirical) science to the past: From today's point of view one might be tempted to say that philosophers and scientists in the seventeenth and even more in the eighteenth century became aware of the importance of mathematics as a means of 'representing' physical phenomena or as an 'instrument' of deductive explanation and prediction. But such modernisms are missing the central point, i.e. the 'mathematical nature of nature' according to mechanical philosophy. Moreover, the understanding of this mathematical nature changed dramatically in the course of the eighteenth century for various (i.e. mathematical, philosophical and other) reasons - a fact hardly appreciated by former philosophical analysis. Philosophy of science today should offer a more accurate analysis to history of science without giving up its task - not always appreciated by historians - to uncover the basic concepts and methods which seem relevant for the understanding of science in question. This paper gives a 'structural account' on the development of rational mechanics from Newton to Lagrange that tries to give justice to the fact that rational mechanics in the eighteenth century was primarily understood as a mathematical science and that - starting from this understanding - also tries to give good reasons for the fundamental change of the concept of science that took place during this period.
- Subjects
MECHANISM (Philosophy); MATHEMATICAL physics; MATHEMATICAL models; PHILOSOPHY of physics; MECHANICS (Physics); MATHEMATICS; NEWTON, Isaac, 1642-1727; EULER, Leonhard, 1707-1783; LAGRANGE, J. L. (Joseph Louis), 1736-1813; MODERN logic; SEVENTEENTH century; EIGHTEENTH century
- Publication
Berichte zur Wissenschafts-Geschichte, 2012, Vol 35, Issue 3, p183
- ISSN
0170-6233
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/bewi.201201550