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1 results

  • 5 - Succinct exposition of some meditations on fire (1755)

  • Immanuel Kant
  • Edited by Eric Watkins, University of California, San Diego
  • Book:
    Kant: Natural Science
    Published online:
    05 November 2012
    Print publication:
    04 October 2012, pp 309-326

  • Summary

    Kant's essay "Succinct Exposition of Some Meditations on Fire" is divided into two sections. The first section argues that various phenomena pertaining to the solidity and fluidity of bodies can be explained only by positing an elastic matter. The second section explains how the elastic matter of fire, which is compressed into the interstices of larger bodies, can be used to account for phenomena involving vapors, air, and flame, as well as the proper way to measure heat. The elastic matter of the first section is also identified here with both the matter of fire and the matter of light, or the ether. While Kant accounts for the selective range of natural phenomena by positing a small number of forces and entities, he demonstrates his familiarity with many leading contributors to the debate about the nature of fire, such as Newton, Euler, and other natural philosophers.