The Kantian Interpretation of Newton's Laws
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25247/P1982-999X.2023.v23n1.p76-96Keywords:
Analogies, Physics, Metaphysics, Kant, NewtonAbstract
Our objective in this article is to show how the metaphysical foundation of Newton's three laws of motion by Kant takes place. Firstly, the place where Kant does this is not in the Critique of Pure Reason but in the Metaphysical Principles of Natural Science. Then, Kant does not find Newton's three laws like a derivation of his three analogies of experience. In fact, Kant finds his (and not Newton's) three laws of motion, which, after a due comparison, can be understood as another way of expressing Newton's laws. This is easy to defend when we note that Kant finds a law of conservation among the laws of motion, something totally alien to Newton's laws of motion. Thus, we manage to absolve Kant of the accusation of artificiality of his philosophy when taken as a system made in tow of Newton's physics.
Downloads
References
BUCHDAHL, G.: "Kant's 'Special Metaphysics' and The Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science," in Kant's Philosophy of Physical Science, R. Butts (ed.), Dordrecht: D. Reidel Publishing Company, 1986.
CARRIER, Martin: “Kant´s Relational Theory of Absolute Space” Kant-Studien 83, 1992.
CASSIRER. E.: Kant’s Life and Thought. trad. J. Haden, New Haven/ Londres, Yale University Press, 1981.
FRIEDMAN, M. "Kant on Laws of Nature and the Foundations of Newtonian Science," in Proceedings of the Sixth International Kant Congress, G. Funke and T. Seebohm (eds.), Washington: University Press of America, 1989.
FRIEDMAN, M. Kant and the Exact Sciences. London: Harvard University Press, 1992.
KANT, Immanuel. Crítica da Razão Pura, Trad. Manuela Pinto dos Santos e Alexandre Fradique Morujão. Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1989.
KANT, Immanuel. Primeiros Princípios Metafísicos da Ciência da Natureza, Trad. Artur Morão. Lisboa: Edições 70, 1990.
KENNY, A. The Oxford History of Western Philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
NEWTON, I. Princípios Matemáticos da Filosofia Natural. 2ed, trad. Trieste Ricci, Leonardo Brunet, Sônia Gehring, Maria Helena Célia. São Paulo: Edusp, 2002.
WATKINS, E.: "The Laws of Motion from Newton to Kant," Perspectives on Science, 5: 311-348. 1997.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Revista Ágora Filosófica
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
