Maupertuis’s Principle of Least Action: Epistemology and Metaphysics

Authors

  • Marco Storni Forschungszentrum Gotha der Universität Erfurt

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2421-4124/9029

Keywords:

Maupertuis, principle of least action, Newton, Leibniz, epistemology, metaphysics

Abstract

The paper deals with Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis’s (1698-1759) writings on the principle of least action (PLA). I discuss Maupertuis’s philosophical interpretation of the PLA by analysing three of his papers (1740, 1744, 1746), in order to assess the overall consistency of his argument. As I shall argue, Maupertuis presents the PLA as a universal principle of nature, this being at odds with the empiricist inspiration of his epistemology. Maupertuis’s attempt to introduce conceptual elements borrowed from the Leibnizian tradition into a Newtonian-inspired framework creates in fact a tension that is difficult to overcome.

Downloads

Published

2019-02-02

How to Cite

Storni, M. (2019). Maupertuis’s Principle of Least Action: Epistemology and Metaphysics. Montesquieu.It, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2421-4124/9029

Issue

Section

Articles