Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Function and Concept', 'The Tarskian Turn' and 'Principia Mathematica'

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3 ideas

26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / c. Ultimate substances
Newton's four fundamentals are: space, time, matter and force [Newton, by Russell]
     Full Idea: Newton works with four fundamental concepts: space, time, matter and force.
     From: report of Isaac Newton (Principia Mathematica [1687]) by Bertrand Russell - My Philosophical Development Ch.2
     A reaction: The ontological challenge is to reduce these in number, presumably. They are, notoriously, defined in terms of one another.
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 7. Later Matter Theories / a. Early Modern matter
Mass is central to matter [Newton, by Hart,WD]
     Full Idea: For Newton, mass is central to matter.
     From: report of Isaac Newton (Principia Mathematica [1687]) by William D. Hart - The Evolution of Logic 2
     A reaction: On reading this, I realise that this is the concept of matter I have grown up with, one which makes it very hard to grasp what the Greeks were thinking of when they referred to matter [hule].
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 7. Later Matter Theories / b. Corpuscles
An attraction of a body is the sum of the forces of their particles [Newton]
     Full Idea: The attractions of the bodies must be reckoned by assigning proper forces to their individual particles and then taking the sums of those forces.
     From: Isaac Newton (Principia Mathematica [1687], 1.II.Schol)
     A reaction: This is using the parts of bodies to give fundamental explanations, rather than invoking substantial forms. The parts need not be atoms.