Difference between revisions of "Isaac Newton"

Revision as of 16:22, March 21, 2007

Don't let others tell you how to think, live, read, watch, listen, experience and believe.

FIND YOUR OWN PATH

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-Sir [[Isaac Newton]] was an English [[scientist]] who lived from 1634 to 1727.  He 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.  His contributions also include inventing the reflecting telescope, developing [[calculus]] simultaneously with German physicist Gottfried Leibniz. Each accused the other of plagiarism, but neither could prove it.<ref>Newton Biography[http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Newton.html]</ref>), and numerous other contributions to his fields of study.
+Don't let others tell you how to think, live, read, watch, listen, experience and believe.
-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 belief that the Sun is at the center of the solar system).
+FIND YOUR OWN PATH
-Newton was a devout [[Christian]] who said his discoveries were inspired by [[God]].<ref>http://www.biblecodedigest.com/page.php/74</ref>.  He devoted more time to the study of Scripture than to science, and more time in the pursuit of alchemy than to either.  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's beliefs differed in an heretical manner from that of the Anglican Church however; he did not believe Trinitarianism (one God in three persons).  The majority opinion holds that Newton was a unitarian (one God) and an Arian (Jesus was divine but did not exist eternally and was created by God at some point before coming to Earth).  Both are commonly regarded by conservative Christians as the most dangerous of heresies. This is illustrated by Newton in his theological notebooks by noting that "worshiping Christ as God" among a list of "[[idolatry|Idolatria]]".<ref> Entirely aside from this, he believed in God not as much as conscious interventionist, but as a mute supernatural creator who interfered little, or not at all with the doings of humans. Westfall, Richard S. The Life of Isaac Newton, Cambridge U Press, 1993, ISBN 0-521-47737-9, p. 124</ref>
-== Gravity ==
-Newton developed the theory of universal gravitation, more commonly known as gravity, when, according to an urban legend, an apple struck him on the head. He realized that the same force pulled the apple to the ground, as kept 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 inverse proportionately to the distance between them. The theory's accuracy was later improved by the theory of relativity.
-== Religious Beliefs ==
-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>
-Newton is often seen as one of the greatest scientists of all time due to his contributions, which 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>
-==Reference==
-[[Category:Biographies]]
-<references/>

Difference between revisions of "Isaac Newton"

Revision as of 16:22, March 21, 2007

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