The variety of readings of Archimedes in the scientific revolution: Leibniz vs. Newton

Abstract

ABSTRACT During the Scientific Revolution, the works of Archimedes played a momentous role. The geometers and natural philosophers of seventeenth-century Europe used Archimedes as a resource for tasks that varied considerably. In this paper, after some introductory remarks, I will consider and contrast the different readings of Archimedes provided by Leibniz and Newton. Leibniz's Archimedes is a precursor of calculus because of his use of exhaustion methods and infinitesimal magnitudes for the calculation of the dimension (area or volume) of curvilinear figures. In Newton's mathematical writings, Archimedes is invoked not to provide a rigorous foundation to the infinitesimal methods of the Moderns, but as an alternative to the symbolic approach to geometry championed by Descartes.