Qualities, Properties, and Laws in Newton’s Induction

Newton’s argument for universal gravitation in thePrincipiaeventually rested on the third “Rule of Philosophizing,” which warrants the generalization of “qualities of bodies.” An analysis of the rule and the history of its development indicate that the term ‘quality’ should be taken to include both...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPhilosophy of science Vol. 76; no. 5; pp. 1052 - 1063
Main Author Miller, David Marshall
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge The University of Chicago Press 01.12.2009
Cambridge University Press
Subjects
Gravitation
Gravitation theory
Gravity
History of ideas
History of science
Inertia
Kinetics
Laws of Motion
Mathematical relations
Phenomena
Philosophy of science
Physics
Rule of law
Theory
Universal law of gravitation
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Summary:Newton’s argument for universal gravitation in thePrincipiaeventually rested on the third “Rule of Philosophizing,” which warrants the generalization of “qualities of bodies.” An analysis of the rule and the history of its development indicate that the term ‘quality’ should be taken to include both inherent properties of bodies and relations among systems of bodies, generalized into `laws'. By incorporating law‐induction into the rule, Newton could legitimately rebuff objections to his theory by claiming that universalgravitationwas justified by his method even if he could not specify the cause ofgravity.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:0031-8248
1539-767X
DOI:10.1086/605808