The scholium that follows the eight opening definitions of
the Principia concerns Newton's views
on absolute time, space, place, and motion and contains discussion of the
bucket with water that is being spun around and two spheres connected to each
other that are spinning about their center of mass. Rynasiewicz brings attention
to the points of contention that exist due to translation.
The Principia
never had an English translation during Newton's lifetime. It was until after
he had passed on that it was translated, and it has been refined since. One
thing of note, similar to what was made in a previous post, is that the
meanings of words in old languages, especially Latin, change or morph as time
goes on. Being certain of a translation is important in understanding what is
trying to be argued or posited.
In this case, it is the adjacency of "determine"
and "define." When the sentences in question read with the word
"determine," we see that to mean that we are unable to achieve a
result, but rather, if we replace the word with "define," it takes on
a new meaning. An undefined system or property is similar to that of an
undetermined one in that we aren't getting a result on the surface, but if you
are to dive down into it, you will see that an undefined result is a result
itself. For Newton's work in the scholium, he is saying that absolute time,
space, place, and motion cannot be defined by their relation to their relative
counterparts. If we are to borrow mathematical understanding here, we can say
that something so defined would not be unique, and a uniquely defined situation
is what we require for the absolute cases.
Newton goes on to discuss the importance of the difference
between relative and absolute, but I feel that for the purposes of this, they
are not important in fine detail. The broader concept is more of what we are interested
in, and Rynasiewicz does a wonderful job of allowing for an understanding of
both the fine and coarse in the article.
This paper is further reinforcement for the clarity of
language when delivering information to students. As a lecturer, it is our duty
to being clear and concise so as to avoid as many misunderstandings as we can.
We cannot claim to be able to avoid them all, as I feel this paper shows with
how people have viewed the scholium over the years, but we can certainly do our
best.
Robert Rynasiewicz, "By their properties, causes and effects: Newton;s scholium on time, space, place and motion," Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, Vol. 26, pages 133-153, 295-321 (1995)
