Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica

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In summary: back when there were no sciences called 'maths', 'physics', etc. It has come to be used exclusively for the philosophy of science.Philosophy means 'love of wisdom'. That was largely used for any science...back when there were no sciences called 'maths', 'physics', etc. It has come to be used exclusively for the philosophy of science.
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Ad VanderVen
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Summary: Why did Newton call his book Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica and not Philosophiae Naturae Principia Mathematica?

Why did Newton call his book Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica and not Philosophiae Naturae Principia Mathematica?
 
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  • #2
Because it is natural love of wisdom, not nature's love of wisdom.
 
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  • #3
fresh_42 said:
Because it is natural love of wisdom, not nature's love of wisdom.
Resolving this composite word into three components is a bit ambiguous when preceded by an adjective. Perhaps natural love-of-wisdom? I prefer natural philosophy. It comes naturally to me. :oldsmile:
 
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  • #4
English is not my native language and neither is Latin. So I can't follow arguments related to the idiom. What I do know is that naturalis means 'natural' and naturae 'of (the) nature'.
 
  • #5
Ad VanderVen said:
English is not my native language and neither is Latin. So I can't follow arguments related to the idiom. What I do know is that naturalis means 'natural' and naturae 'of (the) nature'.
Naturalis is the genitive of the adjective, naturae is the genitive of the noun.
Since 'natural' describes the kind of philosophy, it has to be the adjective.
 
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  • #6
I would translate it as 'The Mathematical Principle of Natural Sciences.

My English version did not translate the title, and my German version says 'Mathematische Principien der Naturlehre'. In case any of this helps.
 
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  • #7
To fresh_42: Ah, now I see it: Natur wissenschaft (German) = natural science (English) and not science of nature.

But now another question: would you translate Mathematical Principals of Mind Science in Latin as Philosophiae Mentalis Principia Mathematica?
 
  • #8
Ad VanderVen said:
To fresh_42: Ah, now I see it: Natur wissenschaft (German) = natural science (English) and not science of nature.

But now another question: would you translate Mind Science in Latin as Philosophiae Mentalis?
According to Wikipedia that does not translate into English:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisteswissenschaft
and it is probably simply Philosophia (sing.) or Philosophiae (Pl.) in Latin.

E.g. mathematics was always part of philosophy. That we consider it as a part of natural sciences is relatively modern.
 
  • #9
fresh_42 said:
I would translate it as 'The Mathematical Principle of Natural Sciences.
You mean "(The) Mathematical Principles of Natural Sciences". Principia is the plural of principium.
 
  • #10
Let me be a little clearer. Newton had a theory about the motion of the planets and called his book Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. I have a theory about the reaction times obtained in mental tasks. Suppose I also want to write a book about it in Latin. Could I then, by analogy with Newton, give the book the title Philosophiae Mentalis Principia Mathematica?
 
  • #11
Ad VanderVen said:
Let me be a little clearer. Newton had a theory about the motion of the planets and called his book Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. I have a theory about the reaction times obtained in mental tasks. Suppose I also want to write a book about it in Latin. Could I then, by analogy with Newton, give the book the title Philosophiae Mentalis Principia Mathematica?
Yes.
 
  • #12
So not Philosophiae Mentis Principia Mathematica in analogy to Philosophiae Naturae Principia Mathematica.
 
  • #13
Ad VanderVen said:
But now another question: would you translate Mind Science in Latin as Philosophiae Mentalis?
Assuming that you use the singular form, I would translate Philosophia Mentalis as Mental Philosophy which is not the same as Mind Science. I don't know enough Latin to be able to translate confidently Mind Science but I would not use the Latin word Philosophia for the English word Science. If that were the case, then Philosophy of Science, a well-established field, would translate as Philosophia Philosophiae which seems self-referential.
 
  • #14
Ad VanderVen said:
So not Philosophiae Mentis Principia Mathematica.
No. Mentalis would be correct:
1663714679098.png
 
  • #15
kuruman Of course I know that the philosophy of mind is different from the science of mind, but I would like to keep the analogy with Newton.
 
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  • #17
fresh_42 said:
I would translate it as 'The Mathematical Principle of Natural Sciences.

My English version did not translate the title, and my German version says 'Mathematische Principien der Naturlehre'. In case any of this helps.
It is "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy" on wiki rather than "sciences"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophiæ_Naturalis_Principia_Mathematica

Physics was referred to "natural philosophy" in earlier times is this the reason? Or is this a Latin to German to English thing translation issue?
 
  • #18
pinball1970 said:
It is "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy" on wiki rather than "sciences"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophiæ_Naturalis_Principia_Mathematica

Physics was referred to "natural philosophy" in earlier times is this the reason? Or is this a Latin to German to English thing translation issue?
I consider the Wikipedia translation an accident, to say it politely. It has nothing to do with philosophy as we understand it nowadays. The English version of the book I found on the internet didn't translate it at all which is still better than translating it badly.

Latin, German, and my English translation (except for the forgotten plural @kuruman correctly noticed) are very much the same. "Lehre" in German, means "logos" in Greek, means "science" in English. Physics comes from nature, so Newton couldn't use physics without using 'nature' twice.

Philosophy means 'love of wisdom'. That was largely used for any science at times when people primarily wrote in Latin. I guess people considered the use of scientia (meaning knowledge) as too presumptuous.
 
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  • #19
Btw., the German translation of "science" avoids the condescending "scientia = knowledge". In German it is "Wissenschaft", create knowledge.
 
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  • #20
"A translation is like a mistress - if it is beautiful it is unfaithful and if it is faithful it is not beautiful."

(Ascribed to pretty much everybody from Anton Chekhov to Pavel Chekhov)
 
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  • #21
fresh_42 said:
Naturalis is the genitive of the adjective, naturae is the genitive of the noun.
Since 'natural' describes the kind of philosophy, it has to be the adjective.
One should also stress that nowadays it's called (natural) science what was called (natural) philosophy in Newton's times. It is very important that this split in two distinct fields of research has occured, leading to the great success of the natural sciences in our understanding of objective phenomena to be observed about the real world...
 
  • #22
fresh_42 said:
Btw., the German translation of "science" avoids the condescending "scientia = knowledge". In German it is "Wissenschaft", create knowledge.
My beloved mother tongue is very imprecise in calling everything "Wissenschaft" and not clearly distinguishing science from the humanities ;-). SCNR.
 
  • #23
vanhees71 said:
My beloved mother tongue is very imprecise in calling everything "Wissenschaft" and not clearly distinguishing science from the humanities ;-). SCNR.
I dislike the American view of us (public) versus them (scientists) and find it far more damaging and - regarding its consequences - stupid, if not even a justification of stupid! You can always distinguish Naturwissenschaften from Geisteswissenschaften, or switch to -logie or -kunde. (And until they blasted it, there was always what we as students called the Faulturm.)
 
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1. What is "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica"?

"Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" is a Latin title that translates to "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy." It is a book written by Sir Isaac Newton, first published in 1687, that outlines the laws of motion and universal gravitation.

2. What are the main concepts discussed in "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica"?

The main concepts discussed in "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" are the three laws of motion, the law of universal gravitation, and the concept of inertia. These concepts laid the foundation for classical mechanics and greatly influenced the study of physics and mathematics.

3. Why is "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" considered a groundbreaking work?

"Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" is considered a groundbreaking work because it revolutionized the way we understand the physical world. Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation provided a mathematical framework for explaining the motion of objects and the force of gravity, which had never been done before. It also paved the way for future scientific discoveries and advancements.

4. What impact did "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" have on the scientific community?

"Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" had a significant impact on the scientific community. It established Newton as one of the greatest scientists of all time and solidified his laws of motion and universal gravitation as fundamental principles in physics. It also sparked further research and advancements in the fields of mathematics and physics.

5. How is "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" relevant today?

"Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" is still relevant today as it laid the foundation for classical mechanics and greatly influenced the study of physics and mathematics. The laws of motion and universal gravitation are still used to explain and predict the behavior of objects in motion, and they continue to be taught in physics courses around the world.

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