British Journal for the History of Science 50 (4):637-656 (2017)
Authors |
|
Abstract |
In this article, we discuss the development of the concept of a ‘law’ (of nature) in the
work of the Dutch natural philosopher and experimenter Petrus van Musschenbroek (1692–1761). Since Van Musschenbroek is commonly described as one of the first ‘Newtonians’ on the Continent in the secondary literature, we focus more specifically on its relation to Newton’s views on this issue. Although he was certainly indebted to Newton for his thinking on laws (of nature), Van Musschenbroek’s views can be seen to diverge from Newton’s on crucial points. We show, moreover, how his thinking on laws of nature was shaped by both international and local factors. We start with a brief discussion of Newton’s concept of ‘laws of nature’ in order to set the stage for Van Musschenbroek’s. We then document the development of Van Musschenbroek’s views on laws of nature in chronological order. We demonstrate how his thinking on laws of nature was tied to institutional, theological and scientific factors.
We conclude by pointing to the broader significance of this case study for our understanding of the development of the concept ‘law of nature’ during the eighteenth century.
|
Keywords | Petrus van Musschenbroek Laws of nature Isaac Newton |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
DOI | 10.1017/s0007087417000887 |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
Newton and the Reality of Force.Andrew Janiak - 2007 - Journal of the History of Philosophy 45 (1):127-147.
Newton on Action at a Distance.Steffen Ducheyne - 2014 - Journal of the History of Philosophy 52 (4):675-701.
Metaphysics and the Philosophy of Science: The Classical Origins, Descartes to Kant.W. von Leyden - 1969 - Philosophy 46 (175):38-42.
Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics. J. L. Heilbron. [REVIEW]Howard Stein - 1984 - Philosophy of Science 51 (1):172-175.
Reid's Adaptation and Radicalization of Newton's Natural Philosophy.Steffen Ducheyne - 2006 - History of European Ideas 32 (2):173-189.
View all 8 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
No citations found.
Similar books and articles
Constraining (Mathematical) Imagination by Experience: Nieuwentijt and van Musschenbroek on the Abuses of Mathematics.Steffen Ducheyne - 2019 - Synthese 196 (9):3595-3613.
Petrus van Musschenbroek and Newton’s ‘Vera Stabilisque Philosophandi Methodus’.Steffen Ducheyne - 2015 - Berichte Zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte 38 (4):279-304.
Theory and Practice in Air-Pump Construction: The Cooperation Between Willem Jacob's Gravesande and Jan van Musschenbroek.Anne C. van Helden - 1994 - Annals of Science 51 (5):477-495.
Are Conservation Laws Metaphysically Necessary?Johanna Wolff - 2013 - Philosophy of Science 80 (5):898-906.
Laws in Biology and the Unity of Nature.Angela Breitenbach - 2017 - In Michela Massimi & Angela Breitenbach (eds.), Kant and the Laws of Nature. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 237-255.
The Scripture of Reason and Nature the Laws of Intellect : The Laws of Virtue : The Laws of Policy : The Laws of Physiology, or, the Philosophy of Sense : Developing the Origin, End, Essence and Constitution of Nature.John Stewart - 1813 - Printed for T. Egerton.
On the Nature of Statistical Language Laws.Agnieszka Kulacka - 2010 - In Piotr Stalmaszczyk (ed.), Objects of Inquiry in Philosophy of Language and Linguistics. Ontos Verlag. pp. 151.
Armstrong on Probabilistic Laws of Nature.Jonathan D. Jacobs & Robert J. Hartman - 2017 - Philosophical Papers 46 (3):373-387.
Armstrong and van Fraassen on Probabilistic Laws of Nature.Duncan Maclean - 2012 - Canadian Journal of Philosophy 42 (1):1-13.
Empsychoi Logoi--Religious Innovations in Antiquity: Studies in Honour of Pieter Willem Van Der Horst.Alberdina Houtman, Albert de Jong & Magdalena Wilhelmina Misset-van de Weg (eds.) - 2008 - Brill.
Empsychoi Logoi--Religious Innovations in Antiquity: Studies in Honour of Pieter Willem van der Horst.Pieter Willem van der Horst (ed.) - 2008 - Brill.
The Argument From Laws of Nature Reassessed.Richard Swinburne - 2004 - In M. Ruse & W. Dembski (eds.), Debating Design: From Darwin to Dna. Cambridge University Press.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2017-10-25
Total views
47 ( #242,888 of 2,519,512 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
1 ( #407,153 of 2,519,512 )
2017-10-25
Total views
47 ( #242,888 of 2,519,512 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
1 ( #407,153 of 2,519,512 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads