E90 -- Enodatio quaestionis: utrum materiae facultas cogitandi tribui possit necne?

(A solution to the problem of whether or not the faculty of thought can be attributed to matter, based on principles of mechanics)

Summary: In this work, Euler purports to offer incontrovertible proof, based on principles from the field of mechanics, that material bodies cannot possess the capacity for thought. He reduces the question to a clear and logical syllogism, which leads to an attempted proof of the non-corporeality of the mind. This work is an early salvo in the philosophical dispute over the nature of the mind and its theological consequences.

Publication:

Originally published in Opuscula varii argumenti 1, 1746, pp. 277-286
Opera Omnia: Series 3, Volume 2, pp. 367 - 372

Documents Available:

Original publication:
- E90
- figures
English translation (Joseph McAlhany): E90
The Euler Archive attempts to monitor current scholarship for articles and books that may be of interest to Euler Scholars. Selected references we have found that discuss or cite E90 include:
- Reynolds TS., “Scientific influences on technology - case of the overshot waterwheel, 1752-1754.” Technology and Culture, 20 (2), pp. 270-295 (1979).

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