Complete Works of Voltaire 15 : Elements de la philosophie de Newton (Critical ed)

The "Elements de la philosophie de Newton" constitute Voltaire's most ambitious achievement in the field of scientific exposition, the climax of an enthusiasm for Newton and his discoveries, which had begun in London in the 1720s.

Running counter to the Cartesian philosophical and scientific model which had prevailed in France since the 17th century, this astonishing work melded physics with poetry to make Newton's ideas accessible and bring the French scientific community into the 18th century.