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The seminar will examine Isaac Newton’s engagement with a number of philosophical topics: the nature of space and time, causation, matter theory, laws of nature, God, and the mind-body problem. The goal will be to understand the development of Newton’s views in response to the work of Descartes, Hobbes, Gassendi, and Henry More as well as the ways in which Newton’s philosophical views informed and were informed by his various scientific and theological commitments. We will also look at the early reception of Newton’s thought, both efforts to further develop it by Newton’s allies and efforts to criticize it by figures like Leibniz.