The Controversy between Benjamin Robins and James Jurin arising out of their responses to Berkeley's Analyst.

Amongst the responses to George Berkeley's Analyst were two pamphlets by James Jurin (writing under the pseudonym of Philalethes Cantabrigiensis):

Geometry no Friend to Infidelity
and
The Minute Mathematician.
Another response to Berkeley was contained in A Discourse concerning the Nature and Certainty of Sir Isaac Newton's Methods of Fluxions and of Prime and Ultimate Ratios, written by Benjamin Robins. However Jurin and Robins differed in their interpretation of certain passages in the works of Sir Isaac Newton. These differences were discussed in the pages of The Present State of the Republick of Letters in the years 1735 and 1736. (The dispute was continued between James Jurin and Henry Pemberton, in December 1836 and in 1837.)

The following contributions to this controversy are available here:-

  1. Benjamin Robins, Account of `A discourse concerning the nature and certainty of Sir Isaac Newton's methods of fluxions, and of prime and ultimate ratios'. (The present state of the Republick of Letters, October 1735, pp. 245-270.)
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  2. James Jurin, Considerations upon some passages contained in two letters to the Author of the Analyst, written in defence of Sir Isaac Newton, and the British Mathematicians. (The present state of the Republick of Letters, November 1735, pp. 369-396.)
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  3. Benjamin Robins, A review of some of the principal objections that have been made to the doctrines of fluxions and ultimate proportions; with some remarks on the different methods that have been taken to obviate them. (The present state of the Republick of Letters, December 1735, pp. 436-447.)
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  4. James Jurin, Considerations occasioned by a paper in the last Republick of Letters, concerning some late objections against the doctrine of fluxions, and the different methods that have been taken to obviate them. (The present state of the Republick of Letters, January 1736, pp. 72-91.)
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  5. Benjamin Robins, A dissertation shewing, that the account of the doctrines of fluxions, and of prime and ultimate ratios, delivered in a treates entitled, A discourse concerning the nature and certainty of Sir Isaac Newton's methods of fluxions, and of prime and ultimate ratios, is agreeable to the real sense and meaning of their great inventor. (The present state of the Republick of Letters, April 1736, pp. 290-335.)
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  6. James Jurin, Considerations upon some passages of a Dissertation concerning the doctrine of fluxions, published by Mr. Robins in the Republick of Letters for April last. (The present state of the Republick of Letters, July 1736, pp. 45-82.)
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  7. Benjamin Robins, Remarks on the considerations relating to fluxions, &c. that were published by Philalethes Cantabrigiensis in the Republick of Letters for the last month. (The present state of the Republick of Letters, August 1736, pp. 87-110.)
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  8. James Jurin, The remainder of the paper begun in our last, entituled, Considerations upon some passages of a Dissertation concerning the doctrine of fluxions, published by Mr. Robins in the Republick of Letters for April last. (The present state of the Republick of Letters, August 1736, pp. 111-179)
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  9. Benjamin Robins, Remarks on the remainder of the considerations relating to fluxions, &c. that was published by Philalethes Cantabrigiensis in the Republick of Letters for the last Month. To which is added by Dr. Pemberton a postscript occasioned by a passage in the said considerations. (The present state of the Republick of Letters, September 1736, Appendix, pp. 2-40.)
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  10. James Jurin, Observations upon some remarks relating to the method of fluxions, published in the Republick of Letters for August last, and in the appendix to that for September. (The present state of the Republick of Letters, November 1736, pp. 2-79)
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  11. Benjamin Robins, Advertisement. (The present state of the Republick of Letters, December 1736, Appendix, pp. 491-492.)
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Links:

D.R. Wilkins
(dwilkins@maths.tcd.ie)
School of Mathematics
Trinity College, Dublin