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Letters of Euler to a German Princess by Leonhard Euler & Andrew Pyle & Henry Hunter
On Different Subjects in Physics and Philosophy
At the start of their correspondence, Euler's royal pupil - the German princess - had little or no knowledge of natural philosophy and mathematics. The letters in this text show how Euler takes his pupil back to the basic notions of distance, time and velocity. Euler then progresses onto the more difficult topics of physics: light and colour; sound; gravity; electricity; and magnetism. From physics, he leads on to natural philosophy: the nature of matter; the origin of forces; and the rival worldviews of Newtonians and Cartesians. Here Euler seeks to separate the mathematical achievement of Newton, about which he had doubts and reservations, from the physical interpretation put on his work by others.
The letters go beyond natural philosophy into metaphysics, dealing with the mind-body problem, free will and determinism, the nature of spirits, and the operation of providence in the world of nature. Here, Euler thinks, unaided human reason does not take us very far - some questions may be left unanswered awaiting divine illumination. In particular, he is very suspicious of the metaphysical system of Leibniz and Wolff. |
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| Author(s) : Leonhard Euler & Andrew Pyle | Format : Hardback Book |
| ISBN-10 : 185506507X | ISBN-13 : 9781855065079 |
| RRP : £225.00 | Best available price : £ / $ |
| Prices as of : BST check live prices | |
Product Details:
Country Publication : United Kingdom
Publication Date : 15/02/1997
Publisher : Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
Page Length : 1138mm
Page Size : 220mm