Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T09:20:45.306Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

David Gregory and Newtonian Science

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2009

Christina M. Eagles
Christina M. Eagles
Affiliation:
Department of History, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JY.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

The purpose of this article is to point out that, contrary to popular belief, David Gregory did not lecture on the Newtonian philosophy when he was Professer of Mathematics at Edinburgh University. This belief has arisen because of a statement of Whiston's which attributes to David a paper written by his younger brother James. Nevertheless, some of David's Edinburgh students were acquainted with Newton's work, and I shall examine the extent to which this was so, and look at the other sources which he used in his teaching. Finally, Gregory's attitudes are seen to be typical of those prevailing in the Scottish universities of his day.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal for the History of Science , Volume 10 , Issue 3 , November 1977 , pp. 216 - 225
Copyright
Copyright © British Society for the History of Science 1977

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

NOTES

I would like to thank the Royal Society for a grant towards the expenses of this research.

1 Manuel, Frank E., A portrait of Isaac Newton (Cambridge, Mass., 1968), p. 272Google Scholar. Grant, Robert, The story of the University of Edinburgh (2 vols., Edinburgh, 1884), ii. 296Google Scholar. Dictionary af national biography, xxiii (1890), 93–4Google Scholar; Article on David Gregory by Agnes Clerke. Hutton, Charles, A mathematical and philosophical dutionary (2 vols., London, 1796) i. 554Google Scholar. Louis Trenchard More, Isaac Newton (New York, 1934), p. 318Google Scholar. Stewart, Agnes G., The academic Gregories (London, 1901), P. 54.Google Scholar

2 Whiston, William, Memoirs of the lift and writings of Mr William Whiston (London, 1749), p. 36.Google Scholar

3 These untitled theses were published at Edinburgh in 1690. I have used the printed copy in Aberdeen University Library, MS. 48/E.I, and a manuscript copy in Edinburgh University Library (henceforth cited as EUL), MS. Dc.6.12.

4 Huygens, Christian, Traité de la Lumière (Leide, 1690).Google Scholar

5 Lawrence, P. D. and Molland, A. G., ‘David Gregory's inaugural lecture at Oxford’, Notes and records of the Royal Society of London, xxv (1970), 172 n6.Google Scholar

6 Cant, R. G., ‘The St Andrews University theses, 1579–1747’, Transactions of the Edinburgh bibliographical socicty, ii (1938–1945), 105–50 and 263–72Google Scholar; see p. 112.

7 Oxford English dictionary (Oxford, 1961), i. 91.Google Scholar

8 Gregory, David to Newton, Isaac, 8 August 1691, in Turnbull, H. W. (ed.), The correspondent of Isaac Newton (3 vols., Cambridge, 1959–1967), iii. 157–62.Google Scholar

9 EUL MS. Dc.1.61, items 188, 190, and 193.

10 King, Christine M., ‘Philosophy and science in the arts curriculum of the Scottish universities in the seventeenth century’ (University of Edinburgh Ph.D. thesis, 1975), p. 232.Google Scholar

11 See Cohen, I. Bernard, Franklin and Newton (Philadelphia, 1956), pp. 180–2Google Scholar. These definitions were often repeated, but probably first appeared in Chambers, E., Cyclopaedia, or an universal dictionary of arts and sciences (London, 1728)Google Scholar. Although sometimes thought to have originated with Harris, John, Lexicon technicum, they do not appear in this work until its fifth edition (London, 1736)Google Scholar. I am indebted to Ruth Wallis of Newcastle for this information.

12 See EUL MSS Dc.1.75, Dc.6.18, La.111.170, Dc.6.12, Dc.7.69, Dc.6.19, La.111.570, La. 111.175, and Christchurch, Oxford MSS 1333 and 133.

13 King, , op. cit. (10), Chap. I.Google Scholar

14 For example, Aberdeen University Library has a manuscript copy of part three dated 1713. (MS. 22069)

15 La dioptrique was an illustrative appendix to Descartes, René, Discours de la méthode pour bien conduire sa raison et chercher la verité dans les sciences (Leyden, 1637)Google Scholar. Barrow, Isaac, Lectiones opticae et geometricae in phenomenon opticorum genuinae rationes investigantur, ac exponuntur (Londini, 1674)Google Scholar. Gregory, James, Optica promota, seu abdita radiorum reflexorum et refractorum mysteria geometrice enucleata; cui subnectitur appendix subtilissimorum astronomiae problematum resolutionem exhibens (London, 1663)Google Scholar. See Philosophical transactions (1668) pp. 668–9 and (1670) p. 1203 for this argument between Marriotte and Pecquet.Google Scholar

16 Galilei, Galileo, Discorsi e dimonstrazioni mathematiche intorno a due nuove scienze, attenenti alla mecanica & i movimenti locali, &c. (Leida, 1638)Google Scholar. Huygens, Christian, Horologium oscillatorium, sive de motu pendulorum ad horologia aptato demonstrations geometricae (Parisiis, 1673).Google Scholar

17 Newton, Isaac, Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica (London, 1687), pp. 20–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

18 EUL Colin Campell Collection. Gregory, David to Newton, Isaac, 2 09 1687, in Turnbull, op. cit. (8), ii. 484.Google Scholar

19 Royal Society of London, MS. 210, For a description of these notes see Wightman, W. P. D. ‘David Gregory's commentary on Newton's Principia’ Nature, clxxix (1957), 393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

20 EUL MS. De. 1. 61 item 215.

21 King, , op. cit. (10), p. 337Google Scholar

22 Gregory, David to Newton, Isaac, 2 09 1687Google Scholar; loc. cit. (18).