After Newton: Essays on Natural Philosophy Hardback

In the period 1700-1850 there took place a major transition in natural philosophy: from Newton's concept of passive matter activated by ethereal and active principles, to the conception of nature as a self-contained system, its activity being seen in terms of energy and field principles which were internal to the natural order. Without neglecting the scientific context, Dr Harman's approach is from the standpoint of the history of ideas. The first part of the volume deals with the British tradition of speculation about the nature of matter, ether and force; the second with the Continent, with the Leibnizian and Kantian critiques of Newtonian natural philosophy, and the development of Helmholtz's principle of the conservation of energy. The metaphysical and theological dimensions to matter theory are seen as fundamental to this profound shift in sensibilities: they did not determine scientific practice, but they constrained its form and shaped the structure of scientific thought. Une transition importante dans le domaine de la philosophie naturelle a pris place entre 1700 et 1850: passant du concept de Newton, selon lequel la matiere inerte etait activee par des principes actifs et sublimes, A celui de la nature en tant que systeme se suffisant A lui-mAme, son activite etant consideree en termes d'energie et de principes pratiques qui appartenaient A l'ordre naturel. Sans pour autant negliger le contexte scientifique, l'approche du Dr Harman prend l'histoire des idees pour point de depart. La premiere partie du volume traite de la tradition speculative britannique quant A la nature de la matiere, ether et force; la seconde traite du Continent avec la critique leibnitzienne et kantienne de la philosophie newtonienne et le developpement du principe de conservation d'energie de Helmholtz. Les dimensions theologiques et metaphysiques de la theorie de la matiere sont considerees comme etant fondamentales A ce changeme