Sir Isaac Newton's Role in the Enlightenment

1545 Words4 Pages

Isaac Newton had a huge impact on the Enlightenment, he influenced it scientifically in many ways and he influenced faith and reason in a tremendous way. He was known more for his scientific achievements then his religious works.His background and education affected when he made these great achievements. Isaac Newton born on December 25,1642 in Woolsthorpe, England grew up, he was the most important physicist and mathematician of all time.1 Newton attended Cambridge where he studied mathematics. Although he was considered a genious he was also considered an eccentric who was unsociable, vindictive, absent-minded and paranoid, he was considered to have a mid-life mental illness caused by the death of his mother.2Newton was very modest to the extent he had his friends publish his papers.3Newton fled Cambridge to escape the plague, during this period he made many of his accomplishments.4 Also he was persecuted for his faith in God. Thousand of men and women who were good Christians were thoroughly loyal to politics and the belief that science and religion aren’t compatible.Many men and women had nothing but dislike and even contempt.5

Just a few of his accomplishments so crucial to the Enlightenment and currently still important are; essentials of mathematics called Calculus, Optical law-white light is a mixture of colors, and the principle of the law of gravitation.Also he wrote Naturalis Principia Mathematica, better known as Principia Mathematica, which is the single most influential scientific treatise ever written.6 In fact if a single point was given to the beginning of the Enlightenment, it would be the year of Newton’s publication of this book.7It provided the underlying principle for the Enlightenment.8Not only d...

... middle of paper ...

...l. 2.

(Upper Saddle River: Simon and Schuster, 1998), 480

12. Donald, Ozmont and Turner. Western Heritage, 480.

13. Donald, Ozmont and Turner. Western Heritage, 480.

14. History of Science Society, Sir Isaac Newton 1727-1927, 17.

15. Donald, Ozmont and Turner. Western Heritage, 481.

16. History of Science Society, Sir Isaac Newton 1727-1927, 19.

17. Gay, Age of Enlightenment, 20.

18. Bell, Arthur E. Newtonian Science. (London: Edward Arnold Ltd., 1961), 19.

19. Christianson, Gale E. In the Presence of the Creator: Isaac Newton and His Times.

(New York: Macmillan Publishers, 1984), ix.

20. Donald, Ozmont and Turner. Western Heritage, 413.

21. Donald, Ozmont and Turner. Western Heritage, 488.

22. History of Science Society, Sir Isaac Newton 1727-1927, 25.

23. Donald, Ozmont and Turner. Western Heritage, 489.

Open Document