Research provides new insight into 18th century natural science in Europe
“Traditionally, late 17th and early 18th century developments in European natural science have been interpreted as being the outcome of the triumphant march of experimentation and applied mathematics anchored in the natural philosophy of Isaac Newton and the so-called Newtonians,” explains Steffen Ducheyne, coordinator of the EU-funded EPISTOP project. “In addition, the historiography of 18th century natural science has developed a highly anti-metaphysical stance in that it manages to treat instances of metaphysical arguments or conceptions in natural philosophy as indications of resistance to modernity and modern science that’s portrayed as being based on experimental and mathematical natural science.” EPISTOP has sought to radically reassess these interpretations. This research was undertaken with the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme.
The influence of Newton’s work on natural philosophy, metaphysics and mathematics
Researchers brought to the fore the importance of earlier experimental traditions that predate the arrival of Newton’s natural philosophy and help explain why it was favourably received. They also showed that in a number of 18th century natural philosophies, such as the ones developed by two important 18th century natural philosophers – Willem Jacob ’s Gravesande and Émilie du Châtelet – there was fertile interaction between experimentation, mathematics and metaphysics. Research produced two major outcomes. First, by comparing different natural philosophical traditions in France, Germany and the Dutch Republic, the researchers showed that 18th century experimental philosophy can’t be reduced to Newtonian philosophy, but that it borrowed significantly from different extant experimental traditions. Second, the team demonstrated that for Gravesande and du Châtelet, metaphysics provided the foundation for the certainty and reliability of the physical theories they developed.
New research avenues to better understand natural sciences
The project has opened up new vistas that enabled the team members to arrive at a more fine-grained understanding of the development and very nature of the natural sciences. “EPISTOP questions traditional divisions, such as those between empiricists and rationalists, traditional oppositions like the one between the Cartesians and Newtonians, and traditional narratives on the nature of late 17th to early 18th century natural science,” says Ducheyne. “It has become clear that we need to come up with new concepts and narratives in order to understand late 17th to early 18th century natural science.” Findings have directly led to the publication of three journal articles, three chapters in books and one edited volume. The research team was instrumental in organising ‘Responses to Newton: The Impact of the Mathematical-Experimental Paradigm on Natural Philosophy, Epistemology and Metaphysics (1687 – 1800’), an international conference held in Leuven in June 2019. “The results of EPISTOP have the potential to provide and initiate a fresh look at different interactions between experimentation, metaphysics and mathematics in early 18th century natural philosophy, on the one hand, and to free 18th century experimental philosophy from its ‘Newtonian straightjacket’, on the other,” concludes Ducheyne.
Keywords
EPISTOP, natural science, metaphysics, natural philosophy, mathematics, Newtonian, Newton, experimental philosophy, Gravesande, du Châtelet