Advanced Astronomy: Newton

The Arts of Liberty Project

by Michael Augros

The first astronomy sequence took us through the principal contributions of Ptolemy, Copernicus, and Kepler. We are now at the next step in the journey: Isaac Newton. This course is a tour through some of the central material in his Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis, or “Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.” Although we will be learning plenty about astronomy from Newton, the very title of his work shows that it is not restricted to astronomy. It is nothing less than classical physics in its first form. This prompts the question: “Is physics a liberal art?”

269 pages, ebook

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

B.A., Thomas Aquinas College, 1992; M.A., philosophy, Boston College, 1993; Ph.D., philosophy, Boston College, 1995; Bradley Fellow, 1992-1994; Teaching Fellow, Department of Philosophy, Boston College, 1994-1995; Associate Professor of Philosophy, North American campus of the Pontifical University Regina Apostolorum, 1998 to 2009; Vice-President, Institute for the Study of Nature 2006-; President’s Council, The Society for Aristotelian Studies, 2007-; Tutor, Thomas Aquinas College 1995-1998, 2009-.