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Newton Did Change His Views from Certainty to Probability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Alan E. Shapiro
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Abstract

Kirsten Walsh has criticized my interpretation of Newton’s view on the certainty of his new science of color, namely, that it shifted through his long career from one of certainty to probabilism. I defend my view by further considering his statements on certainty in his Optical Lectures, “New Theory about Light and Colors,” Query 31 of the Opticks, and Rule 4 added to the Principia in 1726.

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Philosophy of Science , Volume 88 , Issue 1 , January 2021 , pp. 169 - 180
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Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

†

I thank Zwi Biener for assisting me in understanding Newton’s concept of induction and for other useful comments and suggestions. The comments of two anonymous reviewers helped me clarify my argument.

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