Émilie Du Châtelet and the Foundations of Physical Science

Émilie Du Châtelet and the Foundations of Physical Science PDF Author: Katherine Brading
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429787197
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
The centerpiece of Émilie Du Châtelet’s philosophy of science is her Foundations of Physics, first published in 1740. The Foundations contains epistemology, metaphysics, methodology, mechanics, and physics, including such pressing issues of the time as whether there are atoms, the appropriate roles of God and of hypotheses in scientific theorizing, how (if at all) bodies are capable of acting on one another, and whether gravity is an action-at-a-distance force. Du Châtelet sought to resolve these issues within a single philosophical framework that builds on her critique and appraisal of all the leading alternatives (Cartesian, Newtonian, Leibnizian, and so forth) of the period. The text is remarkable for being the first to attempt such a synthetic project, and even more so for the accessibility and clarity of the writing. This book argues that Du Châtelet put her finger on the central problems that lay at the intersection of physics and metaphysics at the time, and tackled them drawing on the most up-to-date resources available. It will be a useful source for students and scholars interested in the history and philosophy of science, and in the impact of women philosophers in the early modern period.

Émilie Du Châtelet and the Foundations of Physical Science

Émilie Du Châtelet and the Foundations of Physical Science PDF Author: Katherine Brading
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429787197
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 180

Get Book Here

Book Description
The centerpiece of Émilie Du Châtelet’s philosophy of science is her Foundations of Physics, first published in 1740. The Foundations contains epistemology, metaphysics, methodology, mechanics, and physics, including such pressing issues of the time as whether there are atoms, the appropriate roles of God and of hypotheses in scientific theorizing, how (if at all) bodies are capable of acting on one another, and whether gravity is an action-at-a-distance force. Du Châtelet sought to resolve these issues within a single philosophical framework that builds on her critique and appraisal of all the leading alternatives (Cartesian, Newtonian, Leibnizian, and so forth) of the period. The text is remarkable for being the first to attempt such a synthetic project, and even more so for the accessibility and clarity of the writing. This book argues that Du Châtelet put her finger on the central problems that lay at the intersection of physics and metaphysics at the time, and tackled them drawing on the most up-to-date resources available. It will be a useful source for students and scholars interested in the history and philosophy of science, and in the impact of women philosophers in the early modern period.

Selected Philosophical and Scientific Writings

Selected Philosophical and Scientific Writings PDF Author: Emilie Du Châtelet
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226168085
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 454

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Book Description
Though most historians remember her as the mistress of Voltaire, Emilie Du Châtelet (1706–49) was an accomplished writer in her own right, who published multiple editions of her scientific writings during her lifetime, as well as a translation of Newton’s Principia Mathematica that is still the standard edition of that work in French. Had she been a man, her reputation as a member of the eighteenth-century French intellectual elite would have been assured. In the 1970s, feminist historians of science began the slow work of recovering Du Châtelet’s writings and her contributions to history and philosophy. For this edition, Judith P. Zinsser has selected key sections from Du Châtelet’s published and unpublished works, as well as related correspondence, part of her little-known critique of the Old and New Testaments, and a treatise on happiness that is a refreshingly uncensored piece of autobiography—making all of them available for the first time in English. The resulting volume will recover Châtelet’s place in the pantheon of French letters and culture.

Emilie du Châtelet between Leibniz and Newton

Emilie du Châtelet between Leibniz and Newton PDF Author: Ruth Hagengruber
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400720939
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
Emilie du Châtelet was one of the most influential woman philosophers of the Enlightenment. Her writings on natural philosophy, physics, and mechanics had a decisive impact on important scientific debates of the 18th century. Particularly, she took an innovative and outstanding position in the controversy between Newton and Leibniz, one of the fundamental scientific discourses of that time. The contributions in this volume focus on this "Leibnitian turn". They analyze the nature and motivation of Emilie du Châtelet's synthesis of Newtonian and Leibnitian philosophy. Apart from the Institutions Physiques they deal with Emilie du Châtelet's annotated translation of Isaac Newton's Principia. The chapters presented here collectively demonstrate that her work was an essential contribution to the mediation between empiricist and rationalist positions in the history of science.

Emilie Du Chatelet

Emilie Du Chatelet PDF Author: Judith P. Zinsser
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101201843
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
The captivating biography of the French aristocrat who balanced the demands of her society with passionate affairs of the heart and a brilliant life of the mind Although today she is best known for her fifteen-year liaison with Voltaire, Gabrielle Emilie le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise Du Châtelet (1706-1749) was more than a great man's mistress. After marrying a marquis at the age of eighteen, she proceeded to fulfill the prescribed-and delightfully frivolous-role of a French noblewoman of her time. But she also challenged it, conducting a highly visible affair with a commoner, writing philosophical works, and translating Newton's Principia while pregnant by a younger lover. With the sweep of Galileo's Daughter, Emilie Du Châtelet captures the charm, glamour, and brilliance of this magnetic woman.

Reason, Illusion, and Passion

Reason, Illusion, and Passion PDF Author: Émilie du Châtelet
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781693596483
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 58

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Book Description
The amazing scientist, mathematician, philosopher Émilie du Châtelet (1706-49) has widely been hailed as a rare female intellectual in the Enlightenment. At the same time, her own ideas and contributions remain largely unknown and her writings are rarely read. This is unfortunate, since she has interesting contributions to and explanations of physics, metaphysics, religion, translation, the equality of the sexes, and ethics.This book is a selection of du Châtelet's philosophical writings, in new English translations: -Foreword to "Foundations of Physics"-On the Principles of Our Knowledge (From "Foundations of Physics")-On the Existence of God (From "Foundations of Physics")-On Liberty-Translator's Preface to Mandeville's "Fable of the Bees"-On the Resurrection of the Dead (from "Examinations of the Bible")-On Happiness

Seduced by Logic

Seduced by Logic PDF Author: Robyn Arianrhod
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780702237386
Category : Mathematicians
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
From the acclaimed author of Einstein's Heroes, comes the gripping story of two of the most glamorous and influential women of mathematics Issac Newton's Principia changed forever humanity's understanding of its place in the universe - not with the traditional tools of theology or philosophy but with the seductive logic of mathematics. But it was feisty French aristocratic Émilie du Châtelet who played a key role in bring Newton's revolutionary opus to a Continental audience. Together with her lover Voltaire, Émilie - a largely self taught scholar - personified the exciting mix of science, literature, politics and philosophy that defined the Enlightenment. A century later, In Scotland, Mary Somerville taught herself mathematics and rose from genteel poverty to become a world authority on Newtonian physics. Mary's many books, and her charm, made her a legend in her own lifetime. Connected by their passion for mathematics, Mary and Émilie bring to life a defining period in science and politics, revealing the intimate links between the unfolding Newtonian revolution and the origins of intellectual and political liberty. Seduced by Logic is a thrilling foray into the lives of these extraordinary women - and the fascinating ideas that seduced them both. PRAISE FOR ROBYN ARIANRHOD'S EINSTEIN'S HEROES 'Robyn Arianrhod's passion for mathematics is so infectious, you'll scream 'Eureka' when you read her book.' HERALD-SUN 'I read this exhilarating book as I would a novel. Arianrhod combines a passion for her subject with an erudition that is rate for a storyteller' Robyn Williams, ABC'S THE SCIENCE SHOW

Euler as Physicist

Euler as Physicist PDF Author: Dieter Suisky
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540748652
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 357

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Book Description
The subject of the book is the development of physics in the 18th century centered upon the fundamental contributions of Leonhard Euler to physics and mathematics. This is the first book devoted to Euler as a physicist. Classical mechanics are reconstructed in terms of the program initiated by Euler in 1736 and its completion over the following decades until 1760. The book examines how Euler coordinated his progress in mathematics with his progress in physics.

Symmetries in Physics

Symmetries in Physics PDF Author: Katherine Brading
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139442023
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 459

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Book Description
This book brings together philosophical discussions of symmetry in physics, highlighting the main issues and controversies. It covers all the fundamental symmetries of modern physics, as well as discussing symmetry-breaking and general interpretational issues. For each topic, classic texts are followed by review articles and short commentaries.

Emilie

Emilie PDF Author: Lauren Gunderson
Publisher: Samuel French, Inc.
ISBN: 0573697825
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
Tonight, 18th century scientific genius Emilie du Châtelet is back and determined to answer the question she died with: love or philosophy, head or heart? Emilie defends her life and loves and ends up with both a formula and a legacy that permeates history--From publisher's description

The Elements of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophy

The Elements of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophy PDF Author: Voltaire
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 363

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Book Description