newtonianismecommon nounSyllable DecompositionnewtonianismeEtymologyexpandsee newtonianDefinition1. The natural philosophy of Newton, which admits immanent forces in matter, such as gravitation, in opposition to the philosophy of Descartes, which explained everything by mechanism, such as vortices for the movements of celestial bodies.expandLe newtonianisme est la vérité qui a écrasé les fables du cartésianisme. (Voltaire, Lettre Jeune de la Croix, 28 juin 1773)PluralnewtonianismesSee alsonewtonisme (cn.) newtonien (adj.) newtonien (cn.) Newton (pn.)