Descartes and the Emergence of Laws of Nature: A Chart to the Current Debate

Descartes is widely recognized as a key figure in the emergence and consolidation of laws of nature in 17th century natural philosophy. In this article, after outlining the Aristotle-inspired scholastic ontology, we examine Descartes’ formulation of the laws of nature in both The World and the Principles. We argue that, although it faced a critical reception in Boyle’s experimental tradition, the cartesian nomic rationalism successfully draw a chart for some of the issues that continue to occupy a central place in current debates about laws of nature