Algunos especialistas de Newton han sostenido que la metodología con la que éste demuestra la existencia de la fuerza se fundamenta en el tratamiento matemático de los fenómenos del movimiento, lo que se ha convertido en la lectura clásica del asunto. No obstante, esta interpretación presenta amplias limitaciones si se examina a la luz de la lectura que intérpretes como Guicciardini y Guerlac proponen. Este artículo muestra las limitaciones de la lectura clásica a la luz de esta lectura más reciente, (...) explorando los aspectos metodológicos de la demostración de la fuerza. (shrink)

Since the dawn of philosophy, the paradoxical interconnection between the continuous and the discrete plays a central rôle in attempts to understand the ontology of the world, while defying all attempts at consistent formulation. I investigate the relation between (classical) logic and concepts of “space” and “time” in physical and metaphysical theories, starting with the Greeks. An important part of my research consists in exploring the strong connections between paradoxes as they appear and are dealt with in ancient philosophy, and (...) their re-appearance in early modern natural philosophy, as well as in the foundations of contemporary science and mathematics. The way paradoxes are dealt with sheds light on a theory’s hidden metaphysical assumptions, especially with respect to matter, space, time and causation, it defines its ontological signature. This conclusion led me to the in-depth study of early modern natural philosophy, the origin of natural science, especially the influences ancient thinkers had on the new conceptions of space, time and causation developed by Newton, Huygens and Leibniz. (shrink)