ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the appearance of the metaphor of law in the sciences the generalization of the classical meaning of the word 'law' in the common language of science. The similarity of the controversies in Britain and on the Continent should demonstrate that the problem was not one of rivalry among Protestant denominations in Britain, and among Catholic orders on the Continent, but rather in the assimilation of the idea of universal legality. The chapter presents the thesis of Malebranche because he manifested the idea of universal legality, and thus structured the polemic. It provides two constellations. The first constellation relates to the polemic between Antoine Arnauld and Nicolas Malebranche which arose from the publication of the Traite de la nature et de la grace. The debate was opened by Arnauld on the question of the nature of ideas. The second constellation is organized around Wilhelm Leibniz and Pierre Bayle.
