The paper deals with Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis’s (1698-1759) writings on the principle of least action (PLA). I discuss Maupertuis’s philosophical interpretation of the PLA by analysing three of his papers (1740, 1744, 1746), in order to assess the overall consistency of his argument. As I shall argue, Maupertuis presents the PLA as a universal principle of nature, this being at odds with the empiricist inspiration of his epistemology. Maupertuis’s attempt to introduce conceptual elements borrowed from the Leibnizian tradition into a Newtonian-inspired framework creates in fact a tension that is difficult to overcome.
Autori: | storni (Corresponding) | |
Data di pubblicazione: | 2019 | |
Titolo: | Maupertuis’s Principle of Least Action: Epistemology and Metaphysics | |
Rivista: | MONTESQUIEU.IT | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | http://dx.doi.org/10.6092/issn.2421-4124/9029 | |
Volume: | 11 | |
Appare nelle tipologie: | 2.1 Articolo su rivista |
File in questo prodotto:
File | Descrizione | Tipologia | Licenza | |
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9029-29072-1-PB.pdf | Versione dell'editore | Accesso libero (no vincoli) | Open Access Visualizza/Apri |