Introduction
Isaac Newton was an English natural philosopher, physicist, mathematician, alchemist, astronomer, and theologian. His discoveries and theories made him one of the greatest and influential scientists of his time. For instance, as a mathematician he laid foundations for both integral and differential calculus. As a physicist he developed the laws of motion and gravity, and made a significant contribution to the emergence of modern optics. Newton’s work made him an important figure of the Scientific Revolution that occurred during the 17th century. He changed the human understanding of the universe, and helped in shaping the rational worldview. The current essay discusses Newton’s contributions to the intellectual world.
Intellectual Contributions of Newton
Newton was born in the morning of the Christmas day of 1642. His birthplace was at Woolsthorpe, in Lincolnshire, England. Since he was a victim of premature birth, he was very tiny and had little survival chances. During the time of Newton’s birth, England was unstable and chaotic (May, 2017). There were wars in most parts of the country. Plague had become a constant threat. These experiences made many people to believe that the world was coming to an end. As a result, some sought solace in religion. Others embarked on seeking scientific solutions to the various problems that affected them.
The early life of Newton was not that good. He had an unhappy childhood. His father died some time before his own birth. When he was around three years old, his mother left him under the care of his grandmother as she moved to a neighboring village and remarried (Pascal & Foley, 2014). Newton did not relate well with his stepfather. He considered himself to be an orphan. When he started attending the Free Grammar School based at Grantham, he showed little interest in academics. This prompted his mother to take him out of school in order to manage the family wealth. However, his headmaster and uncle insisted that it was necessary for him to receive formal education (Pascal & Foley, 2014; Anderson, 2015).
Upon going back to school, Newton started showing some promise in his studies. He loved subjects that dealt with technology and mechanics (Anderson, 2015). He was not interested in poetry and literature. After receiving basic education, Newton got enrolled to the Trinity College in Cambridge in the year 1661. It is at this institution where he met Isaac Barrow who introduced him to unsolved mathematic problems that exist in daily life. He also had a chance to learn from the works of people like Descartes. Newton came to learn that it was necessary to make observations than just to read books (Steele, 2017). As a result, he started doing simple experiments that soon laid the foundation for his principles of the laws of motion and theories of calculus.
The experiments of Newton enabled him to make many inventions and discoveries. For instance, his optics theory forced him to reconsider the process of designing a telescope. In 1671, the scientist used mirrors to create a telescope that was powerful and ten times smaller compared to the traditional telescope. However, most of Newton’s experimental results could not be replicated (May, 2017; Steele, 2017). As a result, he faced criticism from the Royal Society. This was an elite group of scholars who basically shared their works and critiqued them. Newton did not receive the criticism well. He withdrew himself from the intellectual field as from 1679. During this period of self-imposed exile, he engaged in solitary studies. His interest in alchemy enabled him, to develop radical thoughts that were instrumental for the development of his theory of gravity.
Newton published his first work in the year 1687. His book The Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica highlighted the theories of calculus and universal gravitation, and three different laws of motion. The work presented a revolutionary approach through which the universe was given a mathematical description (Anderson, 2015; Steele, 2017). In 1703 while serving as the president of the Royal Society, Newton published John Flamsteed’s work on the catalogue of stars. Since he had not sought the consent of the astronomer, the two engaged in a bitter dispute (Pascal & Foley, 2014). However, Newton continued to be an influential philosopher that many young scholars looked upon.
After accomplishing many things in his intellectual journey, Newton died at the age of 84 years. He was buried at Westminster Abbey. As a natural philosopher, the scientist was regarded as a new hero of his country. Newton laid many important foundations for the modern scientific era (Pascal & Foley, 2014). His theory of gravity and laws of motion are important concepts not only in modern physics, but also in engineering. Modern mathematics also derives from his concepts of calculus. Although Newton believed in science, he felt that he lived on earth to fulfill the will of God. This explains why he studied both the book of nature and the scriptures. He reasoned that both mathematics and theology were important in discovering the world.
Conclusion
Newton was indeed an influential natural philosopher of his time. He came up with many important principles, theories, and laws of nature. These included the laws of motion, theory of gravity, and principles of calculus. All these concepts were not only significant during the Scientific Revolution era, but also in the modern period. Modern mathematicians, physicists, and other scientists continue depending on the ideas of Newton.
References:
Anderson, M. J. (2015). Isaac Newton: Greatest Genius of Science. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc.
May, A. (2017). Isaac Newton: Scientist. New York : Cavendish Square Publishing.
Pascal, J. B., & Foley, T. (2014). Who was Isaac Newton?. New York, New York, USA : Grosset & Dunlap, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.
Steele, P. (2017). Isaac Newton: The Scientist Who Changed Everything. Washington, D.C: National Geographic Society.
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