Natural Philosophy

Abstract

In the seventeenth century, natural philosophy was seen as an integrated enterprise, embracing what are now seen as separate disciplines, such as philosophy, the natural sciences, mathematics, and theology. Although often portrayed as a now redundant precursor of the natural sciences, natural philosophy was far more than this, enfolding the two quite different notions of learning about and learning from nature. This book argues for the retrieval of the ‘disciplinary imaginary’ of natural philosophy. The first part of the work explores how this idea emerged in the writings of Aristotle, and achieved its greatest influence in the seventeenth century. It offers a critical conversation with leading representatives of the movement—such as Johann Kepler, Robert Boyle, and Isaac Newton—to clarify its scope and significance, as well as identifying the factors causing the decline of the movement in the nineteenth century. The second part of the book sets out a comprehensive account of how natural philosophy can be retrieved and reimagined. Drawing on recent discussions of progress in philosophy, it argues that a retrieved natural philosophy can hold together both the objective and subjective aspects of the human engagement with the natural world. Using Mary Midgley’s approach to safeguarding the complexity of nature and Karl Popper’s model of the ‘three worlds’ of human knowledge—objective, subjective, and theoretical—the book offers a comprehensive vision of the scope of a revitalized natural philosophy, and the benefits this brings to the human understanding and appreciation of nature.