{"id":2427,"date":"2012-06-11T15:00:41","date_gmt":"2012-06-11T03:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/emxphi\/?p=2427"},"modified":"2012-06-11T20:40:26","modified_gmt":"2012-06-11T08:40:26","slug":"shapiro-and-newton-on-experimental-philosophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/emxphi\/shapiro-and-newton-on-experimental-philosophy\/","title":{"rendered":"Shapiro and Newton on Experimental Philosophy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kirsten Walsh writes…<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a recent post<\/a>, I discussed Alan Shapiro\u2019s<\/a> paper, \u2018Newton\u2019s “Experimental Philosophy”‘<\/a>, where he argues that<\/p>\n

    the apparent continuity between Newton\u2019s usage [of the term \u2018experimental philosophy\u2019] and that of the early Royal Society is, however, largely an illusion.<\/ol>\n

    I examined his claim that \u2018experimental philosophy\u2019 was used as a synonym for \u2018mechanical philosophy\u2019 by the early Royal Society, whereas for Newton, the two terms had different meanings.<\/p>\n

    Today I\u2019ll address another argument Shapiro makes in that paper.<\/p>\n

    Shapiro claims that Newton\u2019s adoption of the experimental philosophy occurred quite late \u2013 while preparing the 2nd<\/sup> edition of Principia<\/em><\/a>, published in 1713.\u00a0 To support this claim, Shapiro argues that, in the 1713 edition of Principia<\/em>, Newton uses the term \u2018experimental philosophy\u2019 for the first time in public.\u00a0 Moreover, the methodology Newton describes in this context is very different to the methodology he describes in his early optical papers<\/a>.\u00a0 Shapiro writes:<\/p>\n

      At this time [1675] for Newton confirmation is by mathematical demonstration and secondarily \u2013 only if you think it is worth the bother \u2013 by experiment.\u00a0 He clearly believed that a mathematical deductive approach would lead to great certainty and that experiment could provide the requisite certain foundations for such a science, but until the eighteenth century he did not assign experiment a primary place in his methodology.<\/ol>\n

      If Newton\u2019s \u2018experimental philosophy\u2019 is a late development, then this provides additional support for Shapiro\u2019s claim that Newton\u2019s experimental philosophy is not continuous with the methodology of his predecessors, the early members of the Royal Society.<\/p>\n

      In this post, I\u2019ll argue that (1) experiment is a prominent theme in Newton\u2019s methodological statements between 1672 and 1713, and (2) Newton\u2019s methodology has features that suggest the influence of the early Royal Society.<\/p>\n

      1. Experiment is a prominent theme between 1672 and 1713<\/strong><\/p>\n

      There is a strong experimental theme in Newton\u2019s early optical papers (1672-1675).\u00a0 For example, he says:<\/p>\n

        the proper Method for inquiring after the properties of things is to deduce them from Experiments.<\/ol>\n

        And:<\/p>\n

          I drew up a series of such Experiments on designe to reduce the Theory of colours to Propositions & prove each Proposition from one or more of those Experiments by the assistance of common notions set down in the form of Definitions & Axioms in imitation of the Method by which Mathematicians are wont to prove their doctrines.<\/ol>\n

          And:<\/p>\n

            Now the evidence by which I asserted the Propositions of colours is in the next words expressed to be from Experiments & so but Physicall: Whence the Propositions themselves can be esteemed no more then Physicall Principles of a Science.<\/ol>\n

            In the opening paragraph of De Gravitatione<\/em> (date of composition unknown), Newton says:<\/p>\n

              in order, moreover, that … the certainty of its principles perhaps be confirmed, I shall not be reluctant to illustrate the propositions abundantly from experiments as well…<\/ol>\n

              In the 1st<\/sup> edition of Principia<\/em> (1686), Newton says:<\/p>\n

                The principles I have set forth are accepted by mathematicians and confirmed by experiments of many kinds.<\/ol>\n

                And in the 1st<\/sup> edition of Opticks<\/em> <\/a>(1704), Newton says:<\/p>\n

                  My Design in this Book is not to explain the Properties of Light by Hypotheses, but to propose and prove them by Reason and Experiments…<\/ol>\n

                  Experiment doesn\u2019t seem secondary to me!<\/p>\n

                  2. Newton\u2019s methodology suggests the influence of the early Royal Society<\/strong><\/p>\n

                  As we have said before<\/a>, the Royal Society adopted the experimental philosophy in a Baconian form \u2013 according to the Baconian method of natural history.\u00a0 There is good evidence that Newton was familiar with the work of the Royal Society by the time he wrote his first optical paper in 1672: his notebooks show that he took notes from many issues of the Philosophical Transactions<\/em><\/a> and he took careful notes on Boyle\u2019s work.\u00a0 Newton never adopted the Baconian method of natural history.\u00a0 However, other features of Newton\u2019s methodology suggest the influence of the early Royal Society.\u00a0 For example, he made use of queries, he adopted the familiar distinction between theory and hypothesis, he was concerned with experiments, and he rejected speculation and speculative systems.<\/p>\n

                  Shapiro notices that Newton rejected speculative systems, but fails to recognise that Newton wasn\u2019t the first member of the Royal Society to take this stance.\u00a0 On this blog we have provided ample evidence that the early members of the Royal Society railed against speculation.\u00a0 Newton\u2019s anti-speculation and anti-hypothetical stance, while extreme, was still inside the spectrum of acceptable experimental positions.\u00a0 Consider this passage from Hooke\u2019s Micrographa<\/em><\/a>, addressed to the Royal Society:<\/p>\n

                    The Rules YOU have prescrib\u2019d YOUR selves in YOUR Philosophical Progress do seem the best that have ever yet been practis\u2019d.\u00a0 And particularly that of avoiding Dogmatizing, and the espousal of any Hypothesis not sufficiently grounded and confirm\u2019d by Experiments.\u00a0 This way seems the most excellent, and may preserve both Philosophy and Natural History from its former Corruptions.<\/ol>\n

                    Whether or not Newton explicitly identified himself as such, we have good reason to think that Newton\u2019s first optical paper in 1672 was written by an experimental philosopher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                    Kirsten Walsh writes… In a recent post, I discussed Alan Shapiro\u2019s paper, \u2018Newton\u2019s “Experimental Philosophy”‘, where he argues that the apparent continuity between Newton\u2019s usage [of the term \u2018experimental philosophy\u2019] and that of the early Royal Society is, however, largely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4582,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":[289,276,226,224,350],"class_list":["post-2427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ideas","tag-baconian","tag-experiment","tag-experimental-philosophy","tag-newton","tag-royal-society"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/emxphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/emxphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/emxphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/emxphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4582"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/emxphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/emxphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2427\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/emxphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/emxphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/emxphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}