A force definition

Apparently, the question of "what is force?" worried philosophers along the years. Its definition is not complete, because the concept of force has been linked to the state of rest or motion of a body since the early times. After the contributions on natural and enforced motion of Aristotle, through the definitions of Galileo ("a body is indifferent to motion or to rest, and does not itself show any tendency to move in any direction or any resistance to being set in motion") and Huyghens ("any body in motion tends to move in a straight line with the same velocity as long as it does not meet any obstacle"), the concept of force was modelled after Newton's conclusion, as we learned in school: "every body perseveres in its state of rest, or uniform motion in a straight line, unless it is compelled to change that state by force impressed thereon". Effectively, we used to be told as children: "Force is all cause capable of modifying the state of rest or motion of a body or deform it". Perhaps, the problem is now how to define energy, and all attempts seem to be linked to its practical possibilities, and not concerning with the search for a metaphysical definition.

Nevertheless, it would be considered as a fantastic extravagance, if a child writes in a exam:

"Force is a spiritual power, an invisible energy, imparted by violence from without to all bodies out of their natural balance; an invisible energy, which is created and communicated, through violence from without, by animated bodies to inanimate bodies, giving to these the similarity of life, and this life works in a marvellous way; violence which dies through liberty; that which drives away in its fury whatever stands in its way to its ruin; that which transmutes and compels all bodies to a change of form and place; which is always opposing forces of nature; which is but a desire to fly. Weight does not change of its own accord, while force is always a fugitive; weight has a body, force has none; weight is material, force is spiritual; if one is eternal, the other is mortal".

The funny thing is that such definition (or a poetic recall of observations) was given by Leonardo Da Vinci (1425-1519).

(PLEASE, LEAVE YOUR COMMENT).