Absolute Space: Did Newton Take Leave of His (Classical) Empirical Senses?

Canadian Journal of Philosophy 12 (4):709-724 (1982)
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Abstract

It is in the scholium of thePrincipiaon time, space, place and motion that Newton delivers what is — arguably — a reluctant kiss of betrayal to empiricism. Right there, ‘in the main body of his chief work,’ as E.A. Burtt observes, the deed is done: ‘When we come to Newton's remarks on space and time … he takes personal leave of his empiricism.’ Reichenbach registers the event less charitably, dismissing the ‘crude reification of space that Newton shares with the epistemologically unschooled mind in its naive craving for realism.’ Injury is then added to insult as Reichenbach holds Newtonian mechanics to task for arresting the analysis of the problems of space and time for more than two centuries.

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Citations of this work

Conceptual Dimensions of Theory Appraisal.L. A. Whitt - 1988 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 19 (4):517.
Atoms or Affinities? The Ambivalent Reception of Daltonian Theory.L. A. Whitt - 1990 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 21 (1):57.

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References found in this work

Who's afraid of absolute space?John Earman - 1970 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 48 (3):287-319.
Berkeley's philosophy of motion.G. J. Whitrow - 1953 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 4 (13):37-45.
The Science of Mechanics. [REVIEW]Ernst Mach - 1903 - Ancient Philosophy (Misc) 13:317.

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