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Idealization and Galileo’s Proto-Inertial Principle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Maarten Van Dyck
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Abstract

Galileo proposed what has been called a proto-inertial principle, according to which a body in horizontal motion will conserve its motion. This statement is only true in counterfactual circumstances where no impediments are present. This article analyzes how Galileo could have been justified in ascribing definite properties to this idealized motion. This analysis is then used to better understand the relation of Galileo’s proto-inertial principle to the classical inertial principle.

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Type
Research Article
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Philosophy of Science , Volume 85 , Issue 5 , December 2018 , pp. 919 - 929
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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