On 2010-01-13 Jeffrey Neuzil, rockford illinois wrote: This work, although beyond my competence in mathematics, is designed for ´the common reader.´ With just--a desideratum I lack--calculus and geometry, Chandra demonstrates certain fundamental scholia of Newton´s treatise. But he does more than this. He shows us what Descartes suspected--that the classical geometers and Newton, in a way, new the same things. Descartes was the first to voice his ´suspicion´ that the classical mathematicians knew the methods of modern, calculus-based numerical analysis, but did not reveal such (Descartes´ foundational act, his creation of ´analytical geometry,´ is the point of ´closest contact´ ( Leo Strauss in a different comparison: Xenophon and Machiavelli) between ancient mathematical science and modern. By casting ´Principia´ in classical geometry, Newton--in a tradition profoundly indebted to Descartes and, therefore, Spinoza, shows his assent to Descartes´ premise. If Newton´s ´Principia´ can be elaborated by Euclid´s methods, then, perhaps, Euclid is not so Parmenidean after all. In other words, there is a kinematicism (Parmenides) and a dynamism (Heraclitus)--i.e., Einstein and quantum theory--within classical mathematical science.
I find this in Euclid´s ambiguous definition of ´point´ within his ´elements´ and within his non-theorem, but postulate, the famous ´fifth´--which scholars have labored in vein to derive from his other four axioms.
They have now discovered that it cannot be done, which is why it is a ´postulate,´ rather than an ´axiom.´
Newton, to say nothing of Euclid, chose all words carefully: Chandra brings this to light for us. This should not cause us to shrug our shoulders and say, ´Well, then, it has all been done before, why do anything in science?´ It should, rather, challenge us to say, ´How can I prove that?´
Maybe you cannot, and I know I cannot: So it has the effect of conserving for us the greatness of our tradition, while asking us to go beyond it by not allowing us the, ´We stand on the shoulders of the shoulders of giants, so we see farther than they´ platitude. Therefore, above all, the mystery of Newton´s cosmology is revealed to us. We have found our way out of the Labyrinth of millenial confusion only to recover the greatness of Our Tradition: Our gratitude to Chandra is infinite! So, perhaps, is the cosmos in which it emerged. Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy . And summed up by saying On Newton´s Quiet Endorsement of Euclid´s Brilliance: Chandra´s Greatness!. Currently Newton´s Principia for the Common Reader has an overall rating of 8 over 10.
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Oxford University Press, USA claimed Representing a decade´s work from one of the world´s most distinguished physicists, this major publication is, as far as is known, the first comprehensive analysis of Newton´s Principia without recourse to secondary sources. Chandrasekhar analyses some 150 propositions which form a direct chain leading to Newton´s formulation of his universal law of gravitation. In each case, Newton´s proofs are arranged in a linear sequence of equations and arguments, avoiding the need to unravel the necessarily convoluted style of Newton´s connected prose. In almost every case, a modern version of the proofs is given to bring into sharp focus the beauty, clarity, and breathtaking economy of Newton´s methods. This book will stimulate great interest and debate among the scientific community, illuminating the brilliance of Newton´s work under the steady gaze of Chandrasekhar´s rare perception.
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