1,720,974 research outputs found
L’ambivalenza di Malebranche [Malebranche’s Ambivalence]
No full textMalebranche by Mariangela Priarolo is the only general introduction to Malebranche available in the Italian secondary literature. The main contents of this recent monograph are here examined in terms of the intertwining between religion and philosophy that is characteristic of Malebranche’s thought. The overlapping of and oscillation between faith and reason, between revealed religion and intellectual metaphysics are discussed. Finally, the reasons for the ‘disappearance’ of Malebranche as a prominent, classical author of reference in the 19th and 20th century philosophy are considered
Leibniz: The Philosopher-Scientist
No full textIn the context of an interdisciplinary approach aimed at pointing out the interconnections between science and philosophy in the early modern centuries, no author is probably more interesting than Leibniz
Newton and His System of the World
No full textNewton is perhaps the greatest scientist of all time. It is difficult to conceive how a single man was able to obtain the results he achieved: Newton invented the infinitesimal calculus (credit for which also goes to Leibniz); he gave fundamental contributions to algebra and to algebraic geometry; as for optics, he devised a corpuscular theory and understood that white light is composed of all the colours of the spectrum
Galileo and the Spread of the Copernican System
No full textWith regard to cosmology, Galileo was not an original thinker. He adhered to the Copernican system of the world and did not elaborate it further: he did not investigate the details of the form of the planetary orbits, he remained faithful to the traditional idea of their circular form and always rejected Kepler’s theory of elliptical orbits
Copernicus’ Astronomical Revolution
No full textFrom a historical perspective, it is worth focusing on the context in which Copernicus lived and worked as well as on his scientific points of reference
THE PROBLEM OF CIRCULAR MOTION IN RENE DESCARTES
No full textThe purpose of this study is to illustrate Descartes' doctrine of circular motion, highlighting its foundations and difficulties. The connection of circular motion with other basic assumptions of Cartesian physics, in particular with the plentitude principle, is discussed. The mechanics behind the circular motion is examined, with reference to the example of the sling and of the rotating tube. The significance of circular motion for fundamental phenomena in Descartes' physics, such as gravity and light, is explained
The Elements of a Cosmological Model
No full textIn the early modern ages, precise quantitative studies in astronomy concerned only the solar system (or the terrestrial system, if one refers to geocentric astronomy), and those bodies, like comets, which move—at least in some parts of their trajectories—in the proximity of the solar system
Kepler: The Cosmographer Par Excellence
No full textBefore Newton, Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei were the two most important scientists of the Modern Age and their contribution was essential in enabling Newton to achieve his final synthesis
Huygens: The Greatest Cartesian Scientist
No full textIn our interdisciplinary research concerning the relations between science and philosophy in the context of early modern cosmology, seven scientists are considered: Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, Huygens, Newton and Leibniz
Descartes and the New Mechanistic Paradigm
No full textDescartes’ philosophy is one of the most studied and debated subject in the whole history of philosophy because of the innovative character of his metaphysics and theory of knowledge
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