Focus: Mathematical abstraction as a construal of all potential motion.
Throughline: Possibility becomes law-governed and predictable; the relational field of potential is framed through universal principles.
The emergence of Newtonian mechanics marked a profound re-cut of possibility. Where Renaissance empiricism expanded the horizon through observation and experimentation, Newton formalized these observations into a mathematical cosmos, governed by universal laws. Potential was now quantifiable, predictable, and relationally constrained: every motion, from celestial orbits to terrestrial objects, could be understood as the instantiation of lawful relations.
In this framework, possibility is codified as a deterministic field. Forces act according to precise ratios, bodies interact predictably, and the relational structure of the cosmos is fully intelligible to reason and calculation. This is not mere description; it is a systemic construal, where potential is shaped by lawful relations, and the field of what can occur is bounded by universal principles. The cosmos becomes a structured landscape of possibilities, wherein each event is intelligible as an actualisation of law-mediated potential.
Modulatory voices:
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Newton: the universal law of gravitation as a relational constraint on potential; the mathematical cosmos as a system of predictable possibilities.
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Laplace: the determinist ideal of total predictability, exemplifying the apex of Newtonian construal.
Newtonian mechanics illustrates a key ontological move: possibility is no longer simply observed or hypothesised; it is formally articulated and constrained within a coherent relational framework. The relational field of the universe is now both intelligible and generative: understanding its laws allows one not only to describe phenomena but to predict and, in principle, manipulate outcomes.
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