Isaac Newton - Revision history

AnthonyPvanDuyn: Created two sub sections with bridging intro

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Created two sub sections with bridging intro

Alex Kosh: /* External links */

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External links

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External links

Aschlafly: Newton's views on the infinite universe

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Newton's views on the infinite universe

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AK: unique achievements in natural science & God

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unique achievements in natural science & God

Aschlafly: /* Year of great discovery */

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Year of great discovery

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Reverted edits by Hfhff (talk) to last revision by Karajou

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 == Religious Beliefs ==
-Newton was an [[Arian]] (Illegalized in Europe since the First Council of Nicaea) who rejected the Trinity and was ambiguous about the divinity of Christ. As his leading biographer concludes, "Well before 1675, Newton had become an Arian in the original sense of the term."  That is, he emphasized the powers of God the father and deemphasized Jesus.<ref>Westfall, ''Never at Rest'' p. 103. Westfall notes, p. 350, "No evidence at all indicates that Newton ceased to be an Arian."</ref> He considered himself a [[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>  after the age of 25 he devoted much—perhaps most—of his thinking to religion. His unorthodox views violated the rules at Cambridge University, but his colleagues protected him. Newton wrote the book ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=cIoPAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA1&dq=%22An+Historical+Account+of+Two+Notable+Corruptions+of+Scripture%22#v=onepage&q=&f=false An Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture]'' and removed the parts of 1 John 5:7-8 and 1 Timothy 3:16 that do not appear in the earliest [[Koine Greek]] [[New Testament]] manuscripts. The first one is called the ''[[Johannine Comma]]'' in Latin. These passages in the KJV are (with the unoriginal parts added later in <span style="color:darkred">'''''red'''''</span>):
+Newton was significantly known an [[Arian]] in the traditional sense, perhaps being fueled by Protestant anti-Roman sentiment common at the time.  But he was also an ardent [[Historicist]] in how he read scripture which was expressly forbidden by the post-Reformation and consequential [[Council of Trent]] in that no private interpretation of Scripture was allowed unless approved by the Magesterium.  But both of these show independent thought which made Sir Isaac who he was.
 :7 For there are three that bear record [<span style="color:darkred">'''''in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth,'''''</span>] the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. (1 John 5:7-8)
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 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>
 == Infinite Universe ==

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 [[Category:Deists]]
 [[Category:Scientific Pioneers]]
-[[Category:Christian Scientists and Philosophers]]
+[[Category:Christian Scientists and Inventors]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:31, October 9, 2025
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	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>		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>
		+
		+	== Infinite Universe ==
		+
		+	Newton believed that the universe is infinite in space, but that matter is finite:
		+	{{cquote\|Isaac Newton formulated his ideas on space and the universe ... in response to René Descartes's 1644 publication Principles of Philosophy. Sometime between 1666 and 1668 ... Newton wrote that an “infinite and eternal” divine power coexists with space, which “extends infinitely in all directions” and “is eternal in duration.” Descartes claimed that where there is no matter there can be no space; on the contrary, argued Newton, space, by virtue of omnipresent spirit, exists where there is no matter. Descartes claimed that matter extends indefinitely; on the contrary, argued Newton, God has created in infinite space a material system of finite extent.<ref>[https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/article-abstract/39/2/24/404182/Newton-and-the-Infinite-UniverseNewton-said-that?redirectedFrom=PDF Edward Harrison, "Newton and the Infinite Universe," ''Physics Today'' 39 (2), 24–32 (1986)]</ref>}}

	== Quotes ==		== Quotes ==

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 Newton's science dominated science and educated thought throughout the 18th century, being seen as the highest achievement of pure reason and classical culture.<ref>Feingold, ''The Newtonian Moment'' (2004);  Larry Stewart, ''The Rise of Public Science: Rhetoric, Technology, and Natural Philosophy in Newtonian Britain, 1660-1750.'' (1992)</ref>  In the 19th century, however, Romantic scientists went in entirely new directions, exploring non-Newtonian topics in electricity, magnetism and thermodynamics, and in mathematics turning to topics unrelated to calculus, like group theory. The leading German poet, [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]] - who was also a renowned Natural philosopher - even tried to challenge Newton's optics.
 == Religious Beliefs ==
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 Newton wrote over a million words on religion—nearly all in unpublished hand-written manuscripts and unavailable for research until the 20th century. Although older scholars did not have access to his writings, "Among contemporary scholars, the consensus is that Newton was an Arian," concludes Pfizenmaier (1997).<ref>Thomas C. Pfizenmaier, "Was Isaac Newton an Arian?," ''Journal of the History of Ideas,'' Vol. 58, No. 1 (Jan. 1997), pp. 57-80 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3653988 in JSTOR]</ref>  Arians were Christians but the Arian theology died out as an organized force a thousand years before; Newton read the old texts and identified himself with Arius and his beliefs.
 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>

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 == Quotes ==
-* "Opposition to godliness is [[Atheism]] in profession and idolatry in practice.  Atheism is so senseless and odious to mankind that it never had many professors." - Sir Isaac Newton<ref>Newton, Isaac.  ''A Short Scheme of the True Religion''.  Unpublished writing quoted in Brewster, David (1855).</ref>
+*“Opposition to godliness is [[Atheism]] in profession and idolatry in practice.  Atheism is so senseless and odious to mankind that it never had many professors.” - Sir Isaac Newton<ref>Newton, Isaac.  ''A Short Scheme of the True Religion''.  Unpublished writing quoted in Brewster, David (1855).</ref>
 ==References==

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 [[Image:Newton.png|right|200px]]
-'''Sir Isaac Newton''' (1642-1727) was an [[England|English]] [[physicist]], [[astronomer]], [[mathematician]], [[theologian]], [[alchemy|alchemist]] and government official. He is one of the most well known [[scientist]]s in world history for his [[Theory of Universal Gravitation]], his Laws of Motion, and his theories in optics, as well as invention of differential [[calculus]].<ref>Newton's discovery of calculus was independent of, and likely before, a similar discovery of calculus by the German scientist [[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. His [[Classical mechanics]] comprises the four main fields of modern physics (alongside the later fields of [[electricity]] and [[magnetism]], [[thermodynamics]], and quantum mechanics).
+'''Sir Isaac Newton''' (1642-1727) was an [[England|English]] [[physicist]], [[astronomer]], [[mathematician]], [[theologian]], [[alchemy|alchemist]] and government official. He is one of the most well known [[scientist]]s in world history for his [[Theory of Universal Gravitation]], his Laws of Motion, and his theories in optics, as well as invention of differential [[calculus]].<ref>Newton's discovery of calculus was independent of, and likely before, a similar discovery of calculus by the German scientist [[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. His [[Classical mechanics]] comprises the four main fields of modern physics (alongside the later fields of [[electricity]] and [[magnetism]], [[thermodynamics]], and quantum mechanics). In his opinion, his unique achievements in [[natural science]] were conveyed to him by [[God]] alone.<ref>{{cite web |title=One Prophet Interprets Another: Sir Isaac Newton and Daniel |author=Matania Z. Kochavi |accessdate=19-Dec-2021 |quote=The sense of chosenness grew in Newton, not as a result of his study of prophecies, but following his unique achievements in natural science, which in his opinion, were conveyed to him by God alone. |publisher=Springer Nature Switzerland AG. |isbn=978-94-017-3249-9 |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-017-3249-9_7}}</ref>
 Proving the value of [[Biblical scientific foreknowledge]], Newton attributed his insights to his efforts in translating the [[Bible]]: "Amongst the Interpreters of the last age there is scarce one of note who hath not made some discovery worth knowing; and thence seem to gather that [[God]] is about opening these mysteries."<ref>http://www.pretribulation.com/isaac-newton.htm</ref>

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 ==Year of great discovery==
 The year 1666 is known as Newton's ''annus mirabilis'' (miraculous year—more precisely the two years 1665-1666), about twenty-four years of age. He later recalled, "For in those days I was in the prime of my age for invention & minded Mathematicks & Philosophy more than at any time since." (By "philosophy" he meant physics.)
 ===Calculus===

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 {{Greatest Thinkers}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Isaac}}
-{{communism}}
 [[Category:Physicists]]
 [[Category:Astronomers]]