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On Newtonian Induction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Ori Belkind
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Abstract

This article examines Newton’s method of induction and its connection to methodological atomism. The article argues that Newton’s Rule III for the Study of Natural Philosophy is a criterion for isolating the primary qualities of the atomic parts; in other words, it interprets Rule III as a transductive inference. It is shown that both the standard inductive and invariance interpretations of Rule III can be subsumed under the transductive view, although the invariance criterion is reinterpreted; by qualities “that cannot be intended or remitted,” Newton means qualities that are invariant under changes in the configuration of the atomic parts.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 84 , Issue 4 , October 2017 , pp. 677 - 697
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

†

I would like to thank the two anonymous referees for providing excellent comments and constructive criticisms. I would also like to thank Zvi Biener, Katherine Brading, and Eric Schliesser for reading and commenting on earlier manifestations of ideas expressed here. I have also presented a similar paper in various forums; I am grateful for the comments and questions I received from several participants.

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