States, causes, and the law of inertia

Philosophical Studies 29 (1):21 - 36 (1976)
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Abstract

I argue that Galileo regarded unaccelerated motion as requiring cause to sustain in. In an inclined plane experiment, the cause ceases when the incline ceases. When the incline ceases, what ceases is acceleration, not motion. Hence, unaccelerated motion requires no cause to sustain it.

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Robert Cummins
University of California, Davis

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Programs in the explanation of behavior.Robert Cummins - 1977 - Philosophy of Science 44 (June):269-87.

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