The idea of causality in classical physics

Abstract

We intend to extract a concept of causality through the history and Philosophy of Physics and also to describe its evolution. We emphasize the transformation of this concept which occurs with the Newtonian Mechanics where the force is the transcendent and not immanent cause, like Descartes and Leibniz used to think influenced by escolastics. Also the effect is not the movement but its change. With some simple examples the famous debate among rationalist and empiricists concerning priority or posteriority of causality is presented. Finally we discuss the possibility of the laws of mechanics, which establish a causal constraint among force and acceleration, could be immediately perceived by the senses. We reinforce the concept of Kant that causality is an a priori category of the understanding or accordingly to Spinoza, an ontological principle of nature.