カントとニュートン

哲学と科学の分離について (平成九年五月一二日提出)

抄録

The transcendental philosophy of Kant (1724-1804) has been considered to be one reliable justification for the classical mechanics established by Newton (1642-1727) in the 17th century. Such a viewpoint used to be accepted as common sense in learned circles. Kant was born in Königsberg and studied Newton's physics at the university of his birth place. Since that time he became devoted to the physics of Newton, and furthermore he even obtained the nick name“Newton in Königsberg”.
In those days (1755) Kant anonymously published Allgemeine Naturgeschichte und Theorie des Himmels. At the beginning of this book, he said expressly that he had written it in accordance with the physical principles of Newton. Such a comment proved that he was a sincere Newtonian. Kant's earnest devotion to Newton, however, could not remain permanently, because in his old age Kant became unable to admit the term“natural philosophy, ”as used in the usual term Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica, 1687. Using a few words in his Opus postumum Kant pointed out that Newton has fallen into the error of terminology (Kants Gesammelte Schriften, Akademie Ausgabe XXI, Opus postumum Erste Hälfte, 1936, pp. 190, 230, 510, etc.).
According to Kant, using“natural philosophy”is nothing but a tautology or a contradiction. Therefore, natural philosophy must be corrected to natural “science”. Then, the concept of natural“philosophy”will disappear and the correct Principia in two different forms ought to take respectively the place of Newton's Principia as follows.
X Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica
1 Scientiae naturalis principia philosophica
2 Scientiae naturalis principia mathematica
However, was Newton's terminology of natural philosophy really erroneous? It was not necessarily the truth of the matter. The philosophy of Kant was transcendental. Accordingly philosophy should be neither defined nor qualified, although it could define all other things. From the viewpoint of transcendental philosophy it seemed to Kant that natural science must substitute for natural philosophy. Thus Kant separated philosophy from science here, and the concept of natural science came into existence. Such being the case I can not approve easily Kant's criticism of Newton's Principia. Moreover, the English had not yet the term“natural science”apart from natural philosophy. The term of natural science first appeared there in 1840. Nevertheless, Newton continued to be called“our philosopher”until later years.
Since the era of ancient Greek civilization, the idea of philosophy viz. science had been a traditional expression of European thought. Kant, however, separated science from philosophy against the historical tradition in Europe. But all the pioneers of early modern science like Descartes, Kepler, Galileo, Pascal, etc. were always indeed, the philosophers. Needless to say, Newton certainly associated himself with them as well.
After the separation between science and philosophy, science has unfortunately developed without philosophy and philosophy also has developed without science. But many of the results brought about expressly by scientific technology are not only undesirable, but also very confusing. An urgent question of today must be the realization of a newly constructive philosophy of science in a practical way.
Philosophy without science is empty, Science without philosophy is blind.