Though he lived before Darwin, Newton was not unacquainted with the atheistic evolutionary theory on origins. He is omnipresent not virtually only, but also substantially for virtue cannot subsist without substance.…It is allowed by all that the Supreme God exists necessarily and by the same necessity he exists always and every where.And thus much concerning God to discourse of whom from the appearance of things, does certainly belong to Natural Philosophy. Since every particle of space is always, and every indivisible moment of duration is every where, certainly the Maker and Lord of all things cannot be never and no where.God is the same God, always and every where. In fact, science was the perfect realm in which to discuss God. Scientific inquiry, which then existed as Natural Philosophy, could not exist apart from "the Maker," according to Newton. This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.This Being governs all things, not as the soul of the world, but as Lord over all and on account of his dominion he is wont to be called Lord God "pantokrator," or Universal Ruler. Even in his famed Principia, Newton exhibited his dedication to God. Though he was and still is renowned for his scientific pursuits, Newton was a serious student of the Bible and published several theological works. In it, he described universal gravitation and the three laws of motion, derived from Kepler's Laws. But in 1687, he published the first edition of his Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (later translated in 1825 as The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), considered today to be the single greatest work in the history of science. Newton hesitated to publicize his mathematical studies for fear of more opposition. Though his work received initial opposition, it paved the way for Newton's membership into the Royal Society in 1671, sparking the rapid rise of his reputation. The Royal Society took interest in his optics works, particularly his investigations into the refraction of light, as well as the reflecting telescope he invented (today known as a Newtonian telescope). He returned to Cambridge in 1668 and earned Master of Arts recognition and the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics position a year later. Newton returned to his home in Woolsthorpe to continue his work in calculus, optics, and the law of gravitation, as well as dabbling in some alchemy in the spirit of Robert Boyle's The Sceptical Chymist. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree later that year, shortly after which the university was closed as a precaution against the Great Plague. In 1665, the young scientist invented the generalized binomial theorem and began developing the mathematical theory that would later become calculus. Newton took an interest in mathematics, overlooking the prominent study of the Greek philosopher Euclid and instead focusing on the relatively modern works of minds such as René Descartes, Galileo Galilei, John Wallis, and Johann Kepler. In 1661 at the age of 18, he entered Trinity College at the University of Cambridge. His mother was persuaded to send him back to school to complete his education. He disliked the work and often neglected his duties, taking advantage of market trips into Grantham to read and study. When he was 15, his mother was widowed again and for financial purposes removed him from school to manage a farm. However, after losing in a fight against the student ranked just above him, he applied himself to his studies until not only did he outrank his offender, but everyone else in his class. Chittenden recounts that the young Newton was not a good student at first. At 12 he was sent to The King's School, an educational institution for boys in Grantham, Lincolnshire. His mother remarried and sent him at age three to live with his maternal grandmother. He was born premature and possibly had Asperger syndrome, a form of autism, which could explain his later ability to intensely focus on specific subject matters. The Julian calendar places his birthday on Christmas 1642, before which his father, John Newton, died at the age of 36. Sir Isaac Newton, perhaps the most influential scientist of all time, came from very humble beginnings. God said, Let Newton be! and all was light. Where: Woolsthorpe, a hamlet of Lincolnshire, England Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |