Metafisica, religione e filosofia naturale nella prima età moderna

Metaphysics, Religion and Natural Philosophy in the Early Modern Age · This contribution introduces the main themes of the present special issue on ‘Early modern metaphysics, religion, and natural philosophy’. Firstly, it recalls and highlights the peculiar relationships and intersections between them, at a time that preceded the specialisation of the scientific disciplines and the professionalisation of science. Secondly, it assesses the historiographical tradition that has sometimes hindered a fruitful explanation of events and developments in intellectual history. The case study of Newton’s image provides an insightful example of a historical approach that includes religion and metaphysics in our appreciation of early modern natural philosophy. The final section provides an analysis of the nineteenth-century biographies of Newton that helped to shape his image as a champion of positive science, before the twentieth-century discovery of his extensive writings on religious and theological subjects.