Sobre el concepto de leyes de la naturaleza en Isaac Newton

Abstract

The purpose of this article is double, to clarify the uses by Newton's concept of Natural Law (LN), in the light of the problems and traditions available to him, mainly Cartesian, the English experimental philosophies and alchemical - magic and traditions and, on the other hand, point out the transformations performed on this concept of Cartesian rooted in its two major Works -the Principia and Opticks. In conclusion, I will show that this concept of LN can say as a matter of fact the existence of the entities postulated in LN, although their properties or qualities or even cause is not yet known. Important aspects of this concept of LN are traditionally identified as a legacy of the scientific revolution and therefore retrospective to Galileo, Kepler and Boyle, among others, this application is a clear indication of anachronism resulting from the lack of historical studies above LN concept; additionally, its clarification allows shed light on the expansion and development of Newtonianism in the eighteenth century.