Copyrighted Material

Contents

Introduction by Leonard Peikoff 

Preface

1. The Foundation

            The Nature of Concepts

Generalizations as Hierarchical

Perceiving First-Level Causal Connections

Conceptualizing First-Level Causal Connections

            The Structure of Inductive Reasoning

2. Experimental Method

Galileo’s Kinematics

Newton’s Optics

The Methods of Difference and Agreement

Induction as Inherent in Conceptualization

3. The Mathematical Universe

The Birth of Celestial Physics

Mathematics and Causality

The Power of Mathematics

Proof of Kepler’s Theory

4. Newton’s Integration

The Development of Dynamics

The Discovery of Universal Gravitation

Discovery is Proof

5. The Atomic Theory

Chemical Elements and Atoms

The Kinetic Theory of Gases

The Unification of Chemistry

The Method of Proof

6. Causes of Error

Misapplying the Inductive Method

Abandoning the Inductive Method

7. The Role of Mathematics and Philosophy

            Physics as Inherently Mathematical

            The Science of Philosophy

            An End—and a New Beginning

References

Index