Единство мировоззрения Исаака Ньютона: антропологический аспект

Abstract

The problem of the unity of Newton's worldview has a three-century-long history. Newton himself claimed that the creation of the «Principia» was motivated by theological considerations, and he believed that the figure of God the Almighty, acting in the world, was necessary for a correct doctrine of nature. However, his legacy was perceived in a different light; for example, J.-B. Biot believed that Newton's occupation with theology was the result of a decline in his mental powers. However, Biot did not have access to Sir Isaac's private theological manuscripts. 20th-century researchers gained access to them, and the trend changed, giving rise to the thesis that theology is an integral element of Newton’s thought, unifying it at the paradigmatical, conceptual, and methodological levels. However, this thesis has not been fully proven, as researchers have not fully understood the soteriological significance of theology—and, as a consequence, that Christian theology speaks not simply of God but of His relationship with man. If Newton’s thought is unified, and this unity is provided by theology, then it must be based on a certain understanding of the relationship between God and man. This raises the question of Newton's anthropology and the role it plays in his theology and natural philosophy. The reconstruction of Newton's anthropology shows that one of the cornerstones of his thought is the functional-relational understanding of the Image of God in man. Being understood in this way, the image implies the impossibility of any interiority in cognition and its limitation to the sphere of the phenomenal. Attempts to move along the interior path turn out to be idolatry for Newton, stemming from the uncontrolled ability of the imagination, which forces man to retreat from the divine will; one such retreat is the philosophical hypotheses arising from the same ability. A correctly constructed natural philosophy, according to Newton, turns out to be a form of religion since it has soteriological significance, clarifying the paths of salvation for mankind.