JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
A Comprehensive, Academic Journal of the Philosophy, History, Sociology and Cultural Studies of Science and Technology
Latest Issue
Vomule 47, Issue 5
May , 2025
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Isaac Newton and the Knowledge of the Ancients Abstract: Isaac Newton is rightly credited with the discovery of the laws of gravity, the development of mathematical calculus, and the transformation of natural philosophy into modern-day classical physics. Yet Newton himself firmly believed that he created nothing new. Instead, he considered of all knowledge as ancient, revealed to mankind by God at the beginning of time. Although man’s fall from grace and his subsequent idolatrous practices meant much of that knowledge had become obscured or lost, throughout history sages such as Zoroaster, Hermes, and Plato, had passed on their knowledge to those who studied their writings diligently. In this paper, I argue that exactly this underlying belief in the antiquity of knowledge connects Newton’s various studies in domains that seem very disconnected today, such as mathematics, alchemy, and the study of mythology and chronology. Through a close examination of Newton’s manuscript legacy and the use of Newton’s notes by one of his disciples, the Scottish mathematician David Gregory, I explore these connections and show how in order to understand Newton’s thinking in areas such as natural philosophy, we must take very seriously his studies of ancient writings, because Newton took these studies very seriously himself. Key Words: Isaac Newton; Ancient knowledge; David Gregory; Principiapage: 1-10Newton in the Calendar: Multidimensional Translation and Introduction of Newtonian Theories in the Chinese and Western Almanac Abstract: The Chinese and Western Almanac (1852-1866) introduced various aspects of Newton’s theories, marking a crucial phase in the introduction of Newtonian thought to China. However, related research has been relatively weak, mainly due to limited source materials. The 1853 almanac introduced Newton’s theories of conic sections and precession, and listed his major scientific discoveries. The “Theory of Universal Attraction” published in the 1854 almanac presented the first complete introduction of the law of universal gravitation and its astronomical applications, while the “Essentials of Optics” in the same volume provided an early introduction to Newton’s optical experiments and theories. The “Elementary Fluid Mechanics” serialized in the almanac from 1855 to 1857 contained Newton’s principles of fluid dynamics. The original source texts for these translations have also been verified through textual research.page: 11-18A Study of the First Chinese Manuscript Translation of Newton’s Principia: Its Content, Source Text, and Translation Features Abstract: The first Chinese translation of Newton’s Principia represents a pioneering effort in the translation of scientific and technical texts during Late Qing. In the 1850s, Li Shanlan and Alexander Wylie collaborated on translating the Principia, producing the Naiduan Shuli manuscript. The manuscript covers the “Definitions” “Laws of Motion” and the first four chapters of Book I of the Principia, encompassing the fundamental concepts and laws of Newton’s mechanics. This paper systematically examines the manuscript’s content, identifies Motte’s English translation as its source text, and analyzes its translation features through historical materials, focusing on translation motivation, textual structure, terminology, mathematical notation, and illustrations. Key Words: Naiduan Shuli; Li Shanlan; Alexander Wylie; Newton; Principia; Chinese translationpage: 19-26From Data to Evidence: The Debate Between Representationalism and Relationalism Abstract: Data plays a crucial role in scientific research, with its core value lying in its ability to provide evidence for related phenomena, hypotheses, or theories. Regarding how data serves as evidence, representationalism emphasizes that data itself has inherent representational value, while relationalism highlights its contextual relativity. The apparent opposition between the two arises from misinterpretations with too strong standpoints. Strong representationalism insists that data itself contains fixed informational content, thus possessing an evidential status beyond any specific context of inquiry. In contrast, strong relationalism argues that the evidential status of data depends entirely on the context of inquiry, even claiming that only data serving as evidence qualifies as data. However, representationalism does not necessarily lead to the strong version, and neither does relationalism. Representationalism and relationalism are not contradictory but can be compatible with each other. They focus on different stages of inquiry and research fields, and they can reach a consensus on points such as the representational value of data, its context-dependence, as well as its public and social nature. Key Words: Data; Evidence; Representationalism; Relationalismpage: 27-34JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
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