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Source: Die mathematische schriften von Gottfried Wilheim Leibniz, vol. III C. I. Gerhardt (ed) p 537 Date: August - September 1698? Translated from the Latin Note - the portion of this text that is included in my Shorter Leibniz Texts is not included here. View this translation in PDF format (9k) Back to Shorter Leibniz Texts Back to home page Search texts by keyword(s): (For search strings, just type the words; don't use quotation marks) |
LEIBNIZ TO JOHANN BERNOULLI[GM III p537] ..... I am amazed that Huygens and Newton admit the vacuum, apparently because they have not lifted their mind beyond geometrical notions. It is even more amazing that Newton establishes an attraction which does not happen mechanically. However, what he says, that bodies gravitate to each other (at least according to the detectable effects in the large bodies of our system), should not, it seems, be disregarded, even if it is less pleasing to Huygens. And I clearly approve what you say, that a body no matter how small has its own sphere of activity; I usually say that there is no corpuscle which is not a sort of world of an infinity of creatures. © Lloyd Strickland 2005 With gratitude to John Thorley for advice and suggestions |