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Force, Matter, and Metaphysics in Newton's Natural Philosophy

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Force, Matter, and Metaphysics in Newton's Natural Philosophy FORCE, MATTER, AND METAPHYSICS IN NEWTON'S NATURAL PHILOSOPHY Hylarie Kochiras A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy. Chapel Hill 2008 Approved by: Alan Nelson Andrew Janiak William G. Lycan John T. Roberts Friedel Weinert © 2008 Hylarie Kochiras ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT HYLARIE KOCHIRAS: Force, Matter, and Metaphysics in Newton's Natural Philosophy (Under the direction of Alan Nelson) Metaphysical principles may be intuitively appealing by making the world intelligible, yet they are very difficult to justify. The role that such principles should play in the development of a physical theory becomes a pressing question for Newton, for he seeks a causal explanation of gravity that will eliminate the spectre of matter acting at distance, with sun and planets attracting one another across empty space. Does Newton reach an answer to his question about gravity's causal story, and if not, what stands in the way? Despite his empiricism, he is strongly drawn to the metaphysical principles that matter is passive and that causation is local, so at one level, his problem about gravity seems to be that of discovering some immaterial medium that might possess active powers. Yet I identify in Newton's reasoning a more fundamental problem about gravity, Newton's Substance Counting Problem. His ontology includes immaterial substances as well as material ones, and while his penchant for certain metaphysical principles keeps the search for an immaterial medium alive, his empiricism prevents him from postulating such a medium. He also allows, on empirical grounds, the possibility that substances of different kinds can co- occupy regions of space. Yet if two things can be in the same place at the same time, I argue, Newton has no empirical means of determining how many substances are present on the basis of perceived properties, or of associating those properties with one substance rather than another. Nor will he make those determinations by asserting the metaphysical principles he suspects to be true. Thus he has no means of associating active powers with an immaterial medium rather than with matter, and Newton's problem of discovering gravity's complete causal story is one that cannot be solved. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to a number of people for their assistance with this dissertation. For highly beneficial comments and discussion, I thank my advisor, Alan Nelson, and my committee members, Andrew Janiak, Bill Lycan, John Roberts, and Friedel Weinert. John Henry, from his very different perspective on Newton, generously provided me with a number of comments, as did Lon Becker, Marc Lange, and Jesse Prinz. For their encouragement, I am indebted to my family, especially Thalia Jeffres, Dorothy Kochiras, and Elaine Tamvakis, and to a number of friends, especially Alfred Eisner and Michael Ferejohn. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................................................vii TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS.........................................................................................................ix Chapter I. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................... 1 II. HISTORY OF THE PROBLEM ABOUT THE PLANETARY MOTIONS .................................................................................................................. 6 Aristotle’s Teleological Natural Philosophy.............................................................. 6 The Medievals and Copernicus................................................................................ 16 Galileo and Kepler.................................................................................................... 22 Descartes ................................................................................................................... 32 Hooke ........................................................................................................................ 40 References................................................................................................................. 43 III. FORCE, THE VIS INERTIAE, AND GRAVITY.................................................... 46 Force.......................................................................................................................... 49 The Vis Inertiae ........................................................................................................ 58 Gravity....................................................................................................................... 73 References................................................................................................................. 88 IV. SUBSTANCE AND GRAVITY.............................................................................. 90 Substance: Matter and Spirits................................................................................... 90 Hypotheses for Gravity’s Cause.............................................................................106 References...............................................................................................................140 v V. NEW MOTION AND ACTIVE PRINCIPLES ....................................................142 The Argument for New Motion .............................................................................143 Active Principles.....................................................................................................153 References...............................................................................................................168 VI. GRAVITY, METAPHYSICAL PRINCIPLES, AND NEWTON'S SUBSTANCE COUNTING PROBLEM ..............................................................170 The Atheistic Threat and Superadded Active Powers...........................................177 Local Causation ......................................................................................................195 The Passivity of Matter ..........................................................................................205 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................219 References...............................................................................................................226 APPENDIX: ............................................................................................................................229 vi ABBREVIATIONS Background The Background to Newton's Principia; A Study of Newton's Dynamical Researches in the Years 1664-84, John Herival. CSM The Philosophical Writings of Descartes, trans. John Cottingham, Robert Stoothoff, and Dugald Murdoch. De Gravitatione De Gravitatione et Aequipondio Fluidorum. Unless otherwise noted, this refers to the translation by Christian Johnson with the assistance of Andrew Janiak and a partial translation by Howard Stein, in Philosophical Writings, ed. Andrew Janiak. "Eighth Boyle Lecture" The Eighth Boyle Lecture: "A Confutation of Atheism from the Origin and Frame of the World", Part II (preached December 5, 1692 and published 1693), Richard Bentley, in I. Bernard Cohen (ed.), Isaac Newton's Papers & Letters on Natural Philosophy. Essay An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, John Locke, collated and annotated by Alexander Campbell Fraser. Force Force in Newton's Physics: The Science of Dynamics in the Seventeenth Century, Richard S. Westfall. "Force, Active "Force, Active Principles, and Newton's Invisible Realm", J.E. Principles" McGuire. Forces and Fields Forces and Fields, The Concept of Action at a Distance in the History of Physics, Mary Hesse. "God and Newton's "'Pray do not ascribe that notion to me': God and Newton's Gravity" Gravity", John Henry. "Guide" "A Guide to Newton's Principia", I. Bernard Cohen, in Isaac Newton, The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, trans. I. Bernard Cohen and Anne Whitman. Leibniz-Clarke The Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence, ed. H.G. Alexander. Locke to Stillingfleet Mr. Locke’s Reply to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Worcester’s Answer to His Second Letter, John Locke. Never at Rest Never at Rest: a Biography of Isaac Newton, Richard S. Westfall. Observations touching Observations touching the principles of natural motions; and the principles of natural especially touching rarefaction and condensation: Together with a motions reply to certain remarks touching the gravitation of fluids" Mathew Hale, (London, 1677), 3-5, quoted in John Henry, "Occult Qualities and the Experimental Philosophy". vii "Occult Qualities and "Occult Qualities and the Experimental Philosophy: Active the Experimental Principles in Pre-Newtonian Matter Theory", John Henry. Philosophy" Opticks Opticks, Or A Treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections & Colors of Light, Isaac Newton (Dover edition). Papers & Letters Isaac Newton's Papers & Letters on Natural Philosophy, 2nd edition, ed. I. Bernard Cohen. Philosophical Writings Newton: Philosophical Writings, ed. Andrew Janiak. Principia The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Isaac Newton, trans. I.Bernard Cohen and Anne Whitman. "Seventh Boyle The Seventh Boyle Lecture: "A Confutation of Atheism from the Lecture" Origin and Frame of the World", Part II (preached November
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