Newton - 9781405187282

"Janiak is a historian of philosophy who combines philosophical depth with scholarly care and imagination. His goal is to take Newton on his own terms, as a philosopher attempting to solve some of the central philosophical questions of his day. The result of this contextualist history of philosophy is to understand more fully the subtlety of Newton's own project and the relation it bears to major figures like Descartes. Boyle, Hobbes, Hooke, and cibniz, Janiak's Newton is fascinating"

"This is a refreshing and accessible treatment of Newton and a pleasure to read. Covering experimental, mathematical, metaphysical and theological aspects of Newton's work, and placing that work in the context of the times, this book has plenty to offer anyone interested in Newton, and especially anyone wishing to integrate Newton into their understanding of early modern philosophy"

"Janiak gets it right, emphasizing that Newton understood himself to be, first and foremost, a philosopher. An important contribution to Newton scholarship"

Isaac Newton was not a scientist in the contemporary sense: he was a "natural philosopher," a thinker who articulated a grand vision of nature and of its creator. Newton is an evocative intellectual history that presents a comprehensive exploration of Newton's thoughts concerning philosophical problems, our knowledge of nature, and even the nature of the divine being. Janiak sheds new light on these areas of Newton's work, offering a rare depiction of Newton as a philosophical figure

Newton's ideas are presented within the context of the history of philosophy, revealing his engagement with the work of earlier figures such as Galileo and Descartes, with contemporaries, including John Locke and G.W. Leibniz, and with pressing problems in theology and its relations with other branches of knowledge. This unique text is written in a style that is accessible to those with little or no previous knowledge of Newton and his philosophical writings, but which is sufficiently detailed in its notes to be of interest to scholars