there is a thematic unity to these essays on newtons thought: they are concerned with the central categories of newtons metaphysics of nature (matter, causation, force, space, time) and the ways in which newtons work relates to cultural themes such as providence and creation. focusing on questions of tradition and innovation and newtons engaged response to the broader patterns of his contemporary culture, they present a unified, interpretive stance that often challenges the scholarly orthodoxies. the essays contain a large body of unpublished manuscript material that is related exegetically to the corpus of newtons published writings. accordingly, they provide a fresh basis for understanding and clarifying the inner dynamics of newtons thought. audience: historians, philosophers and sociologists of early modern thought, and those who have an interest in the intellectual achievements of isaac newton.