Johannes Kepler Research Paper

Johannes Kepler derived three laws of planetary motion that described the interaction of the heavenly bodies within our solar system. The first of these laws explained the structure of movement of the Sun and planets. Using his observations of the trajectory of the planet Mars through the Earths night sky he was able to determine that the planet orbits in a pattern around the sun. His observations of the visible planet trajectories was consistent night after night and from the consistency it gave way that the planet must travel within a plane then utilizing his knowledge of geometry and mathematics he determined that this orbit must be that of an ellipse with two foci, or focal points, where in one of the foci is the sun. From his experience of observing the planet Mars he deduced that all the other planets, including Earth, traverse around the sun in an elliptical fashion. Through straight observation of an objects path over time was what Kepler deduced an actual scientific theory? The first of all Kepler’s statements of the orbital patterns of planets was inferred from the

Hume’s problem threatens Kepler’s justification of his statement for he does point out that it is not actually possible for Kepler to confirm his statement and he only generalized his statement to, in hopes, included all other planets trajectories. According to Hume, “if we … trust is past experience, and make it a standard for future judgement, these arguments must be probable only” (Hume 39). If the generalized statement made my Kepler is then to be realized as a probable statement it therefore cannot be deemed a law or science in the view of Hume’s philosophy of a scientific