A Matter of Method

Lambert ten Kate’s New Methods in the Study of Language and the Natural Philosophical Method of Isaac Newton

Author(s)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51769/bmgn-lchr.7030

Keywords:

Lambert ten Kate Hermansz. (1674-1731), Isaac Newton (1642-1727), historical-comparative method, early Enlightenment study of language

Abstract

The Amsterdam-based self-educated polymath Lambert ten Kate (1674-1731) was well versed in different subjects. His contributions to the study of language and the new methods he employed to pursue it are the focus of this article. Ten Kate was well in tune with the natural philosophical developments of his day. Unsurprisingly, it has been argued that the methods he developed in the study of language were inspired by Isaac Newton’s (1643-1727) natural philosophical approach. I argue that a more nuanced understanding of the relation between Ten Kate’s methods in the study of language and Newton’s natural philosophical approach is called for.

De Amsterdamse autodidact Lambert ten Kate (1674-1731) was bedreven in verschillende disciplines. In dit artikel staan zijn bijdragen aan de studie van de taal en de nieuwe methodes die hij daartoe ontwikkelde centraal. Ten Kate volgde de ontwikkelingen binnen de natuurfilosofie op de voet. In de literatuur wordt betoogd dat de methodes die hij aanwendde bij het bestuderen van de taal geïnspireerd waren door Isaac Newtons (1643-1727) natuurfilosofische aanpak. Ik argumenteer echter dat de relatie tussen de door Ten Kate gebruikte methodes bij de studie van de taal en de natuurfilosofische benadering van Newton genuanceerder ligt.

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Author Biography

  • Steffen Ducheyne, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

    Steffen Ducheyne is a Professor of Philosophy at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. His research deals with Isaac Newton’s natural philosophy and its diffusion in Europe, the history of scientific methods and the history and philosophy of science. He is the author of ‘The Main Business of Natural Philosophy’: Isaac Newton’s Natural Philosophical Methodology. Archimedes, New studies in the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (Dordrecht 2012) and the editor of Reassessing the Radical Enlightenment (Abington/New York 2017). He currently prepares a monograph on the diffusion of Newton’s natural philosophy at Leiden University. This article was funded by the Special Research Fund of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (project SRP61). He can be contacted at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Faculty of Languages and Humanities, Department of History, Archeology, Arts, Philosophy and Ethics, Pleinlaan 2, room 5B447, 1050 Brussels.
    E-mail: steffen.ducheyne@vub.be.

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Published

2022-03-31

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

A Matter of Method: Lambert ten Kate’s New Methods in the Study of Language and the Natural Philosophical Method of Isaac Newton. (2022). BMGN - Low Countries Historical Review, 137(1), 28-49. https://doi.org/10.51769/bmgn-lchr.7030