Did Newton really solve Zeno’s Paradoxes?
20-7-2012
Zeno came up with his Paradoxes 2.500 years ago. Many thinkers examined them unsuccessfully. However, physicists are convinced that Zeno’s Paradoxes have been solved by Newton in an exceptional way through differential calculus. (This mathematical method actually continues to constitute one of the most valuable mathematical tools in natural science). Some questions at this point will definitely help to enlighten some of the peculiarities of Zeno’s Paradoxes, as well as the problematic working model of Physicists:
a—-If physicists’ conviction was correct, that Newton actually solved Zeno’s Paradoxes, why is it they are still called “paradoxes”?
b—-Shouldn’t the thinkers have universally agreed to the non-existence of this problem since then?
c—-Physicists surely have the right to believe in the solution of Zeno’s Paradoxes by Newton- as they anyhow believe in the value of other non- provable axioms. (Anyway the same freedom of belief in some arbitrary doctrine is anyhow valid in most countries of our world). Though, does belief help in finding the profound truth?
d—-Why is it that thinkers deal with these ancient problems over and over again?
e—-Doesn’t the Greek word “paradox” mean something which is seemingly or truly contradictory without it actually being (contradictory)?
f—-However, is it possible for something to be only seemingly contradictory, without truly happening in reality?
g—-Can anyone exclude this possibility?
h—-Wouldn’t this mean that something may seem to be contradictory, whereas in actual fact, it isn’t?
i—-Isn’t that actual contradiction the reason for a non-solvable problem?
j-—For example, isn’t Zeno’s claim that there is no motion in our world contradictory?
k—-Isn’t this claim contrary to daily human experiences?
l—-Consequently, wouldn’t it be reasonable for one to conclude that the devising of the differential calculus by Newton was the correct answer to Zeno’s view? (Newton came to the conclusion – and his reputation obviously warrants for that – that the arrow will without doubt reach its target. Because the travelled distance is simply specific and human experience teaches that each arrow reaches its target – something which respectively is… self-evident. And this has been applied to Physics ever since. There are a lot of clever brains on the internet, who adopt Newton’s point of view and indeed amuse themselves with the Eleats’ views. In that distant era, how could the Eleats ever imagine the findings of limits of functions?
m–.-Would anyone dare to claim that a genius like Newton would not simply know what was correct? Should one not blindly rely on him and his work?
n—-Therefore, would it be “allowed” for anyone to question his sound judgment? (Let’s not forget that we are talking about Newton.)
o—-However, wasn’t it his Physics that was considered a spiritual jewel over two centuries, while today it is respectfully called ‘classic’, meaning outdated – in the same way the ancient Greek era is considered to be outdated by today’s era? In fact, these two eras cannot be compared as they are incompatible: In the ancient Greek era, the spirit was at its peak and so was causal logic and consequently quality, whereas nowadays material dominates and therefore the experiment and the quantity. (Physics is a quantitative science.) This is about subtle shades which however, make the difference.
