Isaac Newton has been repeatedly voted as the most brilliant scientist ever. Newton's achievements in physics (natural philosophy as it was known then), mathematics and astronomy set the stage for the next 300 years and continue to be the starting point in scientific education; much of current research and engineering still operates on the laws he enunciated.
As Master of the Mint for 22 years, Newton rescued the British currency from fraudsters and saved it from collapsing. Newton had an all-consuming interest in the old practice of alchemy and devoted untold number of hours in the pursuit of finding the secret of making gold from ordinary metals.
Born in an Anglican family and strongly influenced by Christianity, Newton held his own special views about God and His role in the world. Newton believed that God's existence could not be denied in the face of the grandeur of all creation - God was the masterful Creator. “Gravity explains the motion of the planets, but it cannot explain who sets the planets in motion.”
His investigations in the structure and rules governing the natural world challenged established religion. His genius and reasoning, that produced extraordinary insights into the formulation and understanding of the laws of science, were brilliantly utilised in his analysis of Christianity. He formed his own beliefs based on his studies of the Bible - needless to say that he rejected many of the biblical doctrines. His views on religion did not conform with accepted beliefs, and would have been considered formally heretical by the Church of England. Newton, quite wisely, did not publish his theological studies.
His written manuscripts, mostly unpublished, stretch to 10 million words (more than 20,000 pages) of which 5 million are devoted to religion and 1 million on alchemy. Only 30% of his writing relate to science and mathematics.
Newton as a person is depicted as someone who was arrogant, vindictive, secretive and insecure - he was obsessed with power and reputation. He just could not tolerate any criticism and made life-long enemies with those who crossed his path. Newton twice suffered nervous breakdown suspecting his friends were conspiring against him. In 1679, Newton started a life of solitude and isolation for six years following some criticism of his work by fellow scientists.
He never married and there are no credible records of any romantic episodes. His father died three months before he was born, and when Newton was three years old his mother left him with his grandmother to live with her new husband. Newton's hatred for his stepfather is well documented, he even threatened to burn his house down. His troubled childhood prepared Newton for obsessive devotion to whatever projects he had at hand. Reluctant to publish his work, Newton developed his observations and theories about nature single-handed with no scientific collaborators.
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You might be interested in
Special Theory of Relativity (Part 1) & (Part 2): An Outreach Series
General Theory of Relativity (Part 1) & (Part 2): An Outreach Series
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Family Tree and Early Life: Isaac Newton's ancestors were yeoman farmers. Yeoman farmers in England owned enough land to support a comfortable lifestyle, they farmed it themselves, and because they worked for a living, yeomen were classed below landed gentry. Isaac Newton's father married Hannah Ayscough in April 1642, but passed away after 6 months in October. Isaac Newton was born prematurely and was a tiny baby who miraculously survived. (The slide at the end of this blog describes the confusion created by the use of two different calendars)
In 1646, Newton's mother (age 23) married Reverend Barnabas Smith (age 64) with whom she had three children. Young Isaac was cared for by his maternal grandmother Margery for the next eight years. Abandoned by his mother and living in relative isolation in a farmhouse, Newton developed the characteristics of self-sufficiency and secrecy that he displayed vividly in later life.
Sir Isaac Newton's Family Tree
Barnabas Smith died in 1653 and Newton's mother Hannah Smith returned to the family home at Woolsthorpe with her three children. In his will, Barnabas Smith had left Newton 200 books, largely theological in content and it is likely that having read whatever was available, Newton had acquired extensive knowledge about Christianity.
In 1656, Newton was sent to the King's College, a grammar school in Grantham. His mother wanted Newton to look after the farm but was convinced by his uncle and others to let Isaac continue his education in Grantham and prepare for entry to Cambridge University. Though not an outstanding student at school, Newton read extensively and impressed those around him. Acquired good proficiency in Latin and Greek at school. He was great in making mechanical devices which were greatly admired for their detail and precision.
In July 1661, Newton was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge University and remained there for the next 35 years. The university in the seventeenth century was primarily a religious institution, its curriculum bogged down in the Middle Ages with Aristotle's work forming a major part. Earth was at the centre of the Universe - Copernican theories had no place in the university. Newton wrote about his lessons: 'Good friends are Aristotle and Plato, but a greater friend is truth'.
In 1663, Newton met John Wickins, a like minded student. They did not fit in the cultural environment of the university, became room-mates for the next twenty years. Wickins acted as his assistant and amanuensis (scribe). Newton largely ignored the official university curriculum of classics, Euclidean geometry (Newton found it too simple) and Aristotelian philosophy (largely discredited by Newton's time). Instead Newton wrote down a list of about 72 topics for his investigations - both experimentally and theoretically - 'Certain Philosophical Questions'.
Newton graduated with a BA in 1665 and returned to Woolsthorpe where he got trapped for two years by the raging plague affecting Cambridge.
We shall look at the scientific/professional life and latter years of Isaac Newton in Part 2...
Just When Did Newton Die?
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