History and Philosophy of Mechanics: Newton's Principia Mathematica
Newton's Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis gets a close, section by section reading in this MIT course, paired with historical and philosophical commentaries that put the text in context. Topics include the development of the concept of force, the transition from Aristotelian to Newtonian physics, and the philosophical debates Newton's contemporaries and successors had over space, time, and causation. The course, offered through MIT's Concourse program, includes a full syllabus, weekly reading assignments drawn from primary sources, and written assignments that ask students to work through Newton's arguments rather than just summarize them. Materials are available through MIT OpenCourseWare under a Creative Commons license, with no fee to access lecture notes, readings, or assignments. It suits students who want to understand not just what Newton concluded but how he argued for it.