The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science

Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 3
Copyright......Page 4
Preface......Page 5
Preface 10 the Revised EditioD......Page 7
Table of Contents
......Page 9
(A) The Historical Problem Suggested by the Nature of Modern Thought......Page 15
(B) The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science the Key to This Problem......Page 25
(A) The Problem of the New Astronomy......Page 36
(B) Metaphysical Bearings of the Pre-Copernican Progress in Mathematics......Page 41
(C) Ultimate Implications of Copernicus' Step-Revival of Pythagoreanism......Page 52
(D) Kepler's Early Acceptance of the New World-Scheme......Page 56
(E) First Formulation of the New Metaphysics-Causality......Page 63
(A) The Science of Local Motion......Page 72
(B) Nature as Mathematical Order-Galileo's Method......Page 74
(C) The Subjectivity of Secondary Qualities......Page 83
(E) The Nature of Causality-God and the Physical World-Positivism......Page 98
CHAPTER IV: DESCARTES......Page 105
(A) Mathematics as the Key to Knowledge......Page 106
(B) Geometrical Conception of the Physical Universe......Page 111
(C) Res extensa and Res cogitans......Page 115
(D) The Problem of Mind and Body......Page 121
CHAPTER V: SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY ENGLISH PHILOSOPHY......Page 125
(A) Hobbes' Attack on the Cartesian Dualism......Page 126
(B) Treatment of Secondary Qualities and Causality......Page 130
(C) More's Notion of Extension as a Category of Spirit......Page 135
(D) The Spirit of Nature......Page 140
(E) Space as the Divine Presence......Page 143
(F) Barrow's Philosophy of Method......Page 150
CHAPTER VI: GILBERT AND BOYLE......Page 162
(A) The Non-Mathematical Scientific Current......Page 163
(B) Boyle's Importance as Scientist and Philosopher......Page 167
(C) Acceptance and Defence of the Mechanical World-View......Page 172
(D) Value of Qualitative and Teleological Explanations......Page 177
(E) Insistence on Reality of Secondary Qualities-Conception of Man......Page 180
(F) Pessimistic View of Human Knowledge-Positivism......Page 185
(G) Boyle's Philosophy of the Ether......Page 189
(H) God's Relation to the Mechanical World......Page 194
(I) Summary of the Pre-Newtonian Development......Page 203
Section 1: Newton's Method......Page 207
(A) The Mathematical Aspect......Page 209
(B) The Empirical Aspect......Page 212
(C) Attack on Hypotheses......Page 215
(D) Newton's Union of Mathematics and Experiment......Page 220
Section 2: The Doctrine of Positivism......Page 227
Section 3: Newton's General Conception of the World......Page 231
Section 4: Space......Page 239
(A) Mass......Page 240
(B) Space and Time......Page 244
(C) Criticism of Newton's Philosophy of Space and Time......Page 256
Section 5: Newton's Conception of the Ether......Page 264
(A) The Function of the Ether......Page 265
(B) Newton's Early Speculations......Page 269
(C) Development of a More Settled Theory......Page 279
Section 6: God-Creator and Preserver of the Order of the World......Page 283
(A) Newton as Theol......Page 284
(B) God's Present Duties in the Cosmic Economy......Page 291
(C) The Historical Relations of Newton's Theism......Page 297
CHAPTER VIII: CONCLUSION......Page 303
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 327
INDEX......Page 343