Isaac Newton on mediated action
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.33372.03203Keywords:
Isaac Newton, mediated action, gravity, God, etherAbstract
The interpretation of Isaac Newton's texts has raised many controversies to this day. One of the most heated debates is related to the action between two bodies at a distance from each other (gravitational attraction), and to what extent Newton involved God in this case. Basically, most works discuss four types of gravitational attractions in the case of bodies at a distance: direct action at a distance as an intrinsic property of bodies in the Epicurean sense; direct action at a distance divinely mediated by God; action at a distance mediated through a material ether; or action at a distance mediated through an immaterial ether.
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