On Kant's first insight into the problem of space dimensionality and its physical foundations

Kant Studien 106 (4):547–560 (2015)
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Abstract

In this article it is shown that a careful analysis of Kant 's Gedanken von der wahren Schätzung der lebendigen Kräfte und Beurtheilung der Beweise leads to a conclusion that does not match the usually accepted interpretation of Kant 's reasoning in 1747, according to which the young Kant supposedly establishes a relationship between the tridimensionality of space and Newton's law of gravitation. Indeed, it is argued that this text does not yield a satisfactory explanation of space dimensionality, and actually restricts itself to justifying the tridimensionality of extension.

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Francisco Caruso
Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

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