Isaac Newton

2007-11-08T05:45:00Z

Rabbit63:

[[Image:Newton.png|right|thumb]]

'''Sir Isaac Newton''' was an English [[scientist]] who lived from 1634 to 1727. A fundamentalist Christian who accepted the [[Bible]] as the Word of [[God]],<ref>"I have a fundamental belief in the [[Bible]] as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily." Tiner, J.H. (1975). Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher. Milford, Michigan, U.S.: Mott Media.</ref> Newton was a physicist, astronomer, mathematician, alchemist and natural philosopher. He is probably best known for his [[Theory of Universal Gravitation]] and his [[Laws of Motion]]. He also developed [[calculus]] for the purpose of his work in [[physics]].<ref>Newton's discovery of [[calculus]] was independent of, and likely before, a similar discovery of [[calculus]] by the German physicist [[Gottfried Leibniz]]. (Each accused the other of plagiarism, but neither could prove it. [http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Newton.html Newton Biography]).</ref> In addition, Newton invented the reflecting [[telescope]], and made numerous other contributions to his fields of study.

Newton was the first to demonstrate that the same laws that govern the motion of celestial objects also govern the motion of things on [[Earth]]. Newton contributed greatly to the advancement of science. His work also advanced the concept of [[heliocentrism]] (the view that the [[Sun]] is at the center of the [[solar system]]).

Newton engaged in a violent dispute with Leibniz over priority in the invention of calculus. Newton used his position as president of the Royal Society to have a committee of that body investigate the question, and he secretly wrote the committee's report, which charged Leibniz with deliberate plagiarism. Newton also compiled the book of evidence that the society published. The quarrel has persisted in fact and to this day many German mathematicians in particular, will turn their back when Newton is mentioned.

One of the strongest supporters of Leibniz in this quarrel was Benjamin Franklin, an admirer and correspondent of Leibniz. In 1766, ten years before the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin met and discussed, with the German scientific republican Rudolph Erich Raspe, the Leibnizian idea of forming a nation based upon "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Correspondence between Franklin and Leibniz revolved around their mutual beliefs in such concepts whilst Isaac Newton’s work and beliefs mirrored those of the elitists such as John Locke against whose ideas the American Revolution was fought. Newton and Locke were cut from the same cloth both members and darlings of the Royal Society. That group was determinedly angling for all science which would help to establish the concept that some people were better suited by birth to have rule over other, presumably lesser people, the masses.

As a proponent of such ideas Newton, when made Exchequer of the mint in…. did not waste any time before becoming one of the greatest mass murderers in British history; via brutal enforcement of the death penalty in laws against such acts as “Clipping” whereby poor people ‘clipped’ small pieces of coins and melted these down into metal which could be sold.

Isaac Newton was a deeply superstitious man who dabbled in witchcraft and mysticism among his eclectic interests.

In 1705, in recognition of Isaac Newton's scientific and mathematical contributions, [[Queen Anne]] [[knighted]] him. <ref>Sir Isaac Newton (1642/3–1727): A Scientific Genius, by Ann Lamont[http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v12/i3/newton.asp]</ref> It was the first knighthood to be given for scientific achievement rather than prowess on the battlefield or work in government. <ref>Isaac Newton and God's Law of Gravity[http://www.doesgodexist.org/NovDec01/IsaacNewtonAndGodsLawOfGravity.html] </ref>

Newton is often seen as one of the most influential men in all of history and perhaps the greatest scientist ever. His work was influential even in philosophy, as he inspired [[Kant]] to create the philosophical concepts of the [[categorical imperative]] and the [[synthetic a priori]].

After his death and burial, Newton was exhumed so he could be buried in a more prominent location in [[Westminster Abbey]]. During this exhumation process, it was discovered that Newton had large amounts of mercury in his body, probably as a direct result of his [[alchemy|alchemical]] experiments. Exposure to large amounts of mercury may explain Newton’s eccentricity in his latter years, as well as his cause of death.<ref>Newton Biography[http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Newton.html]</ref>

== Gravity ==
Newton developed the [[Theory of Universal Gravitation]], more commonly known as gravity, when, according to legend, a falling apple struck him on the head. He realized that the same force that pulled the apple to the ground could be what keeps [[Jupiter]]'s moons in orbit. His theory stated that all matter is attracted to matter by a force, whose strength increases proportionally to the mass of the objects involved, and inversely proportional to the squared distance between them. Newton's theory is based on action-at-a-distance which has always been opposed by some scientists, and now most physicists endorse the very different [[theory of relativity]]. Both theories predict identical results at small scales, similar results a the scale of the [[solar system]] and very different results at cosmological scales beyond the [[solar system]].

== Religious Beliefs ==
Newton was a sincere religious believer, who said his discoveries were inspired by [[God]]. He devoted more time to the study of Scripture than to science. He said of himself, "I have a fundamental belief in the [[Bible]] as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily."<ref>Tiner, J.H. (1975). Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher. Milford, Michigan, U.S.: Mott Media.</ref> Newton wrote, "This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent Being... All variety of created objects which represent order and life in the universe could happen only by the willful reasoning of its original Creator, Whom I call the Lord God."

Newton believed that God's creation of the universe was self evident given its grandeur.<ref>Webb, R.K. ed. Knud Haakonssen. “The emergence of Rational Dissent.” Enlightenment and Religion: Rational Dissent in eighteenth-century Britain. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 1996. p19.</ref> He also warned against using his laws to replace the creator. He said, "Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done."<ref>Tiner, J.H. (1975). Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher. Milford, Michigan, U.S.: Mott Media.</ref>

Biographers have speculated that Newton's views would today be considered those of a [[Unitarian]],<ref>Bell, E.T. Men of Mathematics.</ref> although it would be more historically accurate to describe his beliefs as [[Arian]]. It is suggested that Newton did not accept the Trinity or the divinity of Christ.<ref>ISAAC NEWTON'S TWELVE ARTICLES ON GOD AND CHRIST,KEYNES MS 8, KING'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. http://www.isaacnewton.ca/keynes/Keynes_8.en.html "Artic. 9. We need not pray to Christ to intercede for us. If we pray the father aright he will intercede."</ref>

However, the evidence for Newton holding to Arianism is scant. It is true that Newton held a lot to himself, but to say that because of his association with William Whiston, that he is therefore an Arianist is hardly conclusive. It is more probable that Newton held to an Eastern Orthodox view of the Trinity.<ref>ISAAC NEWTON'S TWELVE ARTICLES ON GOD AND CHRIST,KEYNES MS 8, KING'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. http://www.isaacnewton.ca/keynes/Keynes_8.en.html "Artic. 12. To us there is but one God the father of whom are all things and we of him, and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him. That is, we are to worship the father alone as God Almighty and Jesus alone as the Lord the Messiah the great King the Lamb of God who was slain and hath redeemed us with his blood and made us kings and Priests."</ref>

John Conduitt, the husband of Newton's niece had this to say about Newton's theology.

"I had no hesitation when writing the Like of Sir Isaac Newton in 1830, in coming to the conclusions that he was a believer in the Trinity; and in giving this opinion on the creed of so great a man, and so indefatigable a student of scripture, I was well aware that there are various forms of Trinitarian truth, and various modes of expressing it, which have been received as orthodox in the purest societies of the Christian Church."<ref>Thomas C. Pfizenmaier - Was Isaac Newton an Arian?. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-5037(199701)58%3A1%3C57%3AWINAA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-O</ref>

In an effort to debunk widespread claims of his time that the world would be ending soon, Newton wrote a private manuscript estimating that the world would not end prior to the year A.D. 2060.<ref>http://www.isaac-newton.org/newton_2060.htm</ref>

==Reference==
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[[Category:Physicists]]
[[Category:Astronomers]]
[[Category:Mathematicians]]
[[Category:Calculus]]

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Isaac Newton