Newtonianism in Eighteenth-century Britain (Hardcover)

Newton's impact upon the natural sciences of his day was unprecedented and unmatched. No other single figure came close to equalling his dominance over the physical sciences throughout the Enlightenment and for much of the 19th century. This set of volumes illustrates the nature and range of Newton's subsequent influence. The role of Newtonianism in the development of science is exemplified in three major areas. It shows the legacy of Newton, firstly in demonstrating the crucial importance of mathematics for understanding the natural world; secondly, in promoting and refining the experimental method (and, contrary to assumptions that these were two separate traditions in science, in revealing the close links between the mathematical approach and burgeoning experimentalism); and finally in reinforcing the affiliation between science and religion, and stimulating 18th-century natural theology. The set consists of volumes written by a leading Newtonian experimental physicist (Hauksbee), mathematicians (Keill, MacLaurin), and medical writers (Pemberton and Cheyne). The full picture of Newton's influence in the Enlightenment is achieved, however, by including the major work of one of the most influential anti-Newtonian natural philosophers, John Hutchinson. The result is a collection of works by leading natural philosophers and natural theologians, which not only provides an impressive demonstration of Newton's legacy to the Enlightenment, but is also a forceful indicator of the vigour of 18th-century British natural philosophy in its own right.