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137Towards an Ontology of Scientific ModelsMetaphysica 9 (1): 119-127. 2008.Scientific models occupy centre stage in scientific practice. Correspondingly, in recent literature in the philosophy of science, scientific models have been a focus of research. However, little attention has been paid so far to the ontology of scientific models. In this essay, I attempt to clarify the issues involved in formulating an informatively rich ontology of scientific models. Although no full-blown theory—containing all ontological issues involved—is provided, I make several distinction…Read more
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41Bacons idea and Newtons practice of inductionPhilosophica 76 (2). 2005.In this essay, I provide a Baconian reading of Newtons Principia. I argue that Newton scientific practice was influenced by Bacons methodised idea of induction. My focus will be on Newtons argument of universal gravitation.
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103Mathematical Models in Newton’s Principia: A New View of the “Newtonian Style”International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 19 (1). 2005.In this essay I argue against I. Bernard Cohen's influential account of Newton's methodology in the Principia: the 'Newtonian Style'. The crux of Cohen's account is the successive adaptation of 'mental constructs' through comparisons with nature. In Cohen's view there is a direct dynamic between the mental constructs and physical systems. I argue that his account is essentially hypothetical-deductive, which is at odds with Newton's rejection of the hypothetical-deductive method. An adequate acco…Read more
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519Testing universal gravitation in the laboratory, or the significance of research on the mean density of the earth and big G, 1798–1898: changing pursuits and long-term methodological–experimental continuity (review)Archive for History of Exact Sciences 65 (2): 181-227. 2011.This article seeks to provide a historically well-informed analysis of an important post-Newtonian area of research in experimental physics between 1798 and 1898, namely the determination of the mean density of the earth and, by the end of the nineteenth century, the gravitational constant. Traditionally, research on these matters is seen as a case of “puzzle solving.” In this article, the author shows that such focus does not do justice to the evidential significance of eighteenth- and nineteen…Read more
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111Some Worries for Norton’s Material Theory of InductionPhilosophia Naturalis 45 (1): 37-46. 2008.In this essay, I take the role as friendly commentator and call attention to three potential worries for John D. Norton’s material theory of induction. I attempt to show that his “principle argument” is based on a false dichotomy, that the idea that facts ultimately derive their license from matters of fact is debatable, and that one of the core implications of his theory is untenable for historical and fundamental reasons
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26Reid's adaptation and radicalization of Newton's natural philosophyHistory of European Ideas 32 (2): 173-189. 2006.For Thomas Reid, Isaac Newton's scientific methodology in natural philosophy was a source of inspiration for philosophical methodology in general. I shall look at how Reid adapted Newton's views on methodology in natural philosophy. We shall see that Reid radicalized Newton's methodology and, thereby, begins to pave the way for the positivist movement, of which the origin is traditionally associated with the Frenchman Auguste Comte. In the Reidian adaptation of Newtonianism, we can already notic…Read more
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31Newton’s notion and practice of unificationStudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 36 (1): 61-78. 2005.n this paper I deal with a neglected topic with respect to unification in Newton’s Principia. I will clarify Newton’s notion and practice of unification . In order to do so, I will use the recent theories on unification as tools of analysis . I will argue, after showing that neither Kitcher’s nor Schurz’s account aptly capture Newton’s notion and practice of unification, that Salmon’s later work is a good starting point for analysing this notion and its practice in the Principia. Finally, I will…Read more
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49Whewell, Necessity and The Inductive Sciences: A Philosophical-Systematic SurveySouth African Journal of Philosophy 28 (4): 333-358. 2009.In this paper Whewell’s concept of necessity is scrutinized and its historical development is outlined (ca. 1833-1860). Particular attention will be paid to how Whewell interpreted the laws of the inductive sciences as being necessary since the laws of nature are concretizations of the Fundamental Ideas which can be partially described by Axioms
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11Recent findings on Newton's heretical beliefs in the five draft versions of the General Scholium, which was added to the second edition of the Principia in 1713, are discussed here. We shall use these snapshots as a tool to gain understanding into the process of composition of the theological material from the General Scholium
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61Mathematical and philosophical Newton: Niccoló Guicciardini: Isaac Newton on mathematical certainty and method. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2009, 448pp, US$55.00, £40.95 HB Andrew Janiak: Newton as philosopher. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008, 208pp, £47 HBMetascience 20 (3): 467-476. 2011.Mathematical and philosophical Newton Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s11016-010-9520-2 Authors Steffen Ducheyne, Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science, Ghent University, Blandijnberg 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium Journal Metascience Online ISSN 1467-9981 Print ISSN 0815-0796.
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34Nowadays, it is a truism that hypotheses and theories play an essential role in scientific practice. This, however, was far from an obvious given in seventeenth-century British natural philosophy. Different natural philosophers had different views on the role and status of hypotheses and theories, ranging from fierce promotion to bold rejection, and to both they ascribed varying meanings and connotations. The guiding idea of this chapter is that, in seventeenth-century British natural philosophy…Read more
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27In this essay, a manuscript description and analysis of Isaac Newton's manuscript 'Of the Church' is provided.
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106Scientific Representations as Limiting CasesErkenntnis 76 (1): 73-89. 2012.In this essay, I shall show that the so-called inferential (Suárez 2003 and 2004 ) and interpretational (Contessa 2007 ) accounts of scientific representation are respectively unsatisfactory and too weak to account for scientific representation ( pars destruens ). Along the way, I shall also argue that the pragmatic similarity (Giere 2004 and Giere 2010 ) and the partial isomorphism (da Costa and French 2003 and French 2003 ) accounts are unable to single out scientific representation. In the pa…Read more
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36In this essay, I will scrutinize the differences between Galileo's and Huygens's demonstrations of free fall, which can be found respectively in the Discorsi and the Horologium, from a mathematical, representational and methodological perspective. I argue that more can be learnt from such an analysis than the thesis that Huygens re-styled Galilean mechanics which is a communis opinio. I shall argue that the differences in their approach on free fall highlight a significantly different mathematic…Read more
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10""Optical versus Mechanical Models: Newton's" Failure" to Construct an Optical TheoryLogique Et Analyse 49 (194): 199-223. 2006.
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34In this essay, I will bring several hitherto neglected sources, which pertain to Petrus van Musschenbroek’s unpublished manuscripts, to the fore. The folios at hand show that Musschenbroek read and actively engaged with Spinoza’s Ethica. More precisely, it will be shown that Musschenbroek held clear-cut anti-Spinozistic convictions.
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26Noodzakelijkheid bij William Whewell: De ontwikkeling Van een conceptTijdschrift Voor Filosofie 69 (2). 2007.The immense oeuvre of William Whewell (1794-1886), a Victorian monument by itself, has to some extent been treated in a stepmotherly fashion by philosophers and historiansof philosophy. This paper attempts to conceptually clarify Whewell's notion of necessity, which was a core notion in his philosophical project. The author also sketches in broad lines the historical development of this notion in Whewell's thinking and points tothe intertwinement between Whewell's philosophy and theology. Whewel…Read more
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The World Observed/The World Conceived (review)Algemeen Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Wijsbegeerte 4. 2007.
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90J.S. Mill’s Canons of Induction: from True Causes to Provisional OnesHistory and Philosophy of Logic 29 (4): 361-376. 2008.In this essay, my aim is twofold: to clarify how the late Mill conceived of the certainty of inductive generalizations and to offer a systematic clarification of the limited domain of application of the Mill’s Canons of Induction. I shall argue that Mill’s views on the certainty of knowledge changed overtime and that this change was accompanied by a new view on the certainty of the inductive results yielded by the Canons of Induction. The key message of the later editions of The System of Logic …Read more
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449Newton’s immensely famous, but tersely written, General Scholium is primarily known for its reference to the argument of design and Newton’s famous dictum “hypotheses non fingo”. In the essay at hand, I shall argue that this text served a variety of goals and try to add something new to our current knowledge of how Newton tried to accomplish them. The General Scholium highlights a cornucopia of features that were central to Newton’s natural philosophy in general: matters of experimentation, meth…Read more
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20"ignorance Is Bliss": On Bernard Nieuwentijt's Docta Ignorantia and His Insight in Scientific IdealisationRivista di Storia Della Filosofia 4. 2007.
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52The argument(s) for universal gravitationFoundations of Science 11 (4): 419-447. 2006.In this paper an analysis of Newton’s argument for universal gravitation is provided. In the past, the complexity of the argument has not been fully appreciated. Recent authors like George E. Smith and William L. Harper have done a far better job. Nevertheless, a thorough account of the argument is still lacking. Both authors seem to stress the importance of only one methodological component. Smith stresses the procedure of approximative deductions backed-up by the laws of motion. Harper stresse…Read more
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1Recensie Hans Radder, The World Observed/The World ConceivedAlgemeen Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Wijsbegeerte 3 308-309. 2007.
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20De rol van causaliteit binnen de huidige natuurkundeAlgemeen Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Wijsbegeerte 106 (1): 37-41. 2014.Amsterdam University Press is a leading publisher of academic books, journals and textbooks in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Our aim is to make current research available to scholars, students, innovators, and the general public. AUP stands for scholarly excellence, global presence, and engagement with the international academic community.
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116Newton on action at a distance and the cause of gravityStudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 42 (1): 154-159. 2011.In this discussion paper, I seek to challenge Hylarie Kochiras’ recent claims on Newton’s attitude towards action at a distance, which will be presented in Section 1. In doing so, I shall include the positions of Andrew Janiak and John Henry in my discussion and present my own tackle on the matter . Additionally, I seek to strengthen Kochiras’ argument that Newton sought to explain the cause of gravity in terms of secondary causation . I also provide some specification on what Kochiras calls ‘Ne…Read more
Areas of Specialization
General Philosophy of Science |
17th/18th Century Philosophy |
Areas of Interest
General Philosophy of Science |
17th/18th Century Philosophy |