How did Isaac Newton’s work replace the older Aristotelian view of the universe?

Isaac Newton’s work replaced the older Aristotelian view of the universe by providing a unified, mathematical framework that successfully synthesized celestial and terrestrial physics.12

The Aristotelian system, which had dominated for nearly 2,000 years, relied on qualitative arguments and the belief that different laws governed the heavens and Earth. Aristotle posited that objects moved toward their "natural place" and that motion required a constant force. In contrast, Newton’s Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687) introduced a quantitative, mechanical approach.3421

Key aspects of this transition included:

• Universal Laws of Motion: Newton’s three laws of motion established that the same principles of inertia and force apply to all matter, whether on Earth or in space.15
• Universal Gravitation: By postulating a gravitational force that acts between all objects with mass, Newton provided a physical mechanism that explained Kepler’s laws of planetary motion and the behavior of falling bodies on Earth.165
• Mathematical Synthesis: Newton replaced Aristotle’s aesthetic and qualitative explanations with a system based on force, mass, and acceleration, effectively establishing the foundations of classical mechanics.12