Uncovering the Origins of Dynamics: From Lucretius to Hobbs and Beyond

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The discussion highlights the historical foundations of dynamics, tracing concepts from Lucretius's "De Rerum Natura," which introduces early atomic theory and the effects of resistance on falling bodies, to Hobbes's "Leviathan," where he offers a simplistic interpretation of Newton's laws of motion. It emphasizes the importance of these early works in understanding the evolution of scientific thought. The conversation notes that many references to these foundational texts are often overlooked in modern education. It also reflects on Newton's acknowledgment of building upon previous thinkers, underscoring the gradual nature of scientific advancement. Overall, the exploration of these origins reveals a rich tapestry of ideas that shaped our understanding of motion and dynamics.
Keith Mackie
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You will get a very nice understanding of the origins of dynamics if you go back to the very beginnings:

1. Lucretius: De Rerum Natura - The Nature of Things published about 60 BC - about the time of Julius Caesar - Chaper 2, The Dance of the Atoms, an introduction to the eariest forms of atomic theory, lines 230 to 240 where he shows that bodies falling through viscous material i.e. air or water suffer a resistance to motion but if they fall though the void, all bodies fall at the same rate.

2. Thomas Hobbs: Levithian published in 1651 when Isaac Newton was only 8 years old. On page 3, chapter 2, 1st and 2nd paragraphs he gives a naive summary of Newton's three laws of motion stating that they are a matter of common sense to all men.

Neither at school nor at university nor anywhere else in a lifetime of reading in science, philosophy of science and science fiction have I ever come across these references. It seems there is much to discover in the archology of science!
 
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Keith Mackie said:
2. Thomas Hobbs: Levithian published in 1651 when Isaac Newton was only 8 years old. On page 3, chapter 2, 1st and 2nd paragraphs he gives a naive summary of Newton's three laws of motion stating that they are a matter of common sense to all men.

Newton studied the published works of those that had gone before him.

"If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." Isaac Newton

Yes, the history of science is fascinating. It shows that knowledge is not often advanced in as large steps or as quickly as we are often led to believe.
 
Keith Mackie said:
2. Thomas Hobbs: Levithian published in 1651 when Isaac Newton was only 8 years old. On page 3, chapter 2, 1st and 2nd paragraphs he gives a naive summary of Newton's three laws of motion stating that they are a matter of common sense to all men.
I do see a statement of essentially Newton's 1st law, inertia. But nothing that could approach the 2nd or 3rd laws. Still, very interesting!
 

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