The Concept of Living Forces: An Assessment of the Methods Used to Quantify These Forces (From Kant’s Natural Science) (Grapevine edition)

Thoughts on the True Estimation of Living Forces and Assessment of the Demonstrations that Leibniz and Other Scholars of Mechanics Have Made Use of in This Controversial Subject Together with Some Prefatory Considerations Pertaining to the Force of Bodies in General is a work by Immanuel Kant that addresses foundational questions in the philosophy of physics and mechanics. In this lecture Kant examines the concept of living forces a term used in early physics to describe the quantity of motion in a body. He critically assesses the methods and demonstrations employed by scholars notably the philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in their attempts to understand and quantify these forces. Kant's work in this lecture contributes to the broader philosophical discourse on the nature of forces and the principles governing physical motion. It reflects his interest in the philosophy of science and his engagement with the scientific debates of his time offering insights into the conceptual and methodological challenges faced by physicists and philosophers in understanding the mechanics of the physical world.