Isaac Newton-wow

Evening gents. I just finished watching a pbs special about Sir Isaac Newton. The breadth and scope of his genius and understanding simply boggles the mind. While we were taught the basics of his gravity laws in elementary school, a deeper learning process would be required to fully grasp his work. Theologian, alchemist, scientist, astronomer, mathematician, warden of the royal mint, and author of Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. The man was a wonder. While this is certainly not intended to start a debate between creation vs. evolution, Newton never gave up his studies of God and Bible. He devoutly believed yet harboured ideas that would have been heresy if espoused publicly. I am just awed by the man's intellect. If I understood the show correctly, he basically invented modern calculus. There were a number of professors from differing universities on the show and they all seemed to agree that his masterpiece, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, is the finest single scientific work extant. Pretty lofty praise.

You get a bit more reflective as you grow older. I've just turned 44 so while not "old" I'm certainly no kid anymore. Upon checking into Newton's life, I discovered that he published his masterpiece at the same age. It made me take notice that I have done nothing too worthwhile in my life and this man who lived and worked by whale oil lamps and horse powered transportation defined our laws of gravity and modern physics. I am struck by how full of ourselves we are at times. Sorry if this sounds a bit melancholy. It is not meant in that vein. I just feel it would behoove us all to pick up some old texts and study a bit about the men and women who gave us much of our modern world. Have a great weekend.

Regards, Todd

Phog Allen said:

You get a bit more reflective as you grow older. I've just turned 44 so while not "old" I'm certainly no kid anymore. Upon checking into Newton's life, I discovered that he published his masterpiece at the same age. It made me take notice that I have done nothing too worthwhile in my life and this man who lived and worked by whale oil lamps and horse powered transportation defined our laws of gravity and modern physics.
Regards, Todd

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I'm 38. Mozart died when he was 35. I've got a lot of catching up to do in minus-three years!!

Then again, I suppose that I have done a lot of worthwhile stuff over my life so far, if on a much smaller scale than Sir Isaac, or Wolfgang. I'm not saying this to blow my horn, but to suggest that there's probably stuff you've done in your life that is worthwhile too.

To turn an old catchphrase on it's ear, if you're not part of the problem, then you're part of the solution! Just living a good, quiet life and being a positive role model (which is a lot easier than it sounds and most of them don't even know they're doing it) or an example of a decent fellow, is enough.

Civilisation is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration ... this place being a decent place to live is a result of, mostly, a whole bunch of people just getting on with being decent people living there. We need the odd genius to invent stuff for us, but that's only 'good' if they invent stuff for good people.

Like us.

I have studied Sir Isaac Newton and came away with the same feelings that you did. Here was a man trying to figure out movement using algebra and geometry and by sheer will and intellect developed calculus. While Leibniz developed it at the same time, it does not take away from the man's genius. His devotion to science and mathematics (and alchemy and theology) make him a very complex and interesting figure. His reflection telescope is the basis for all modern telescopes.

The Principia deserves the praise that is heaped upon it because it really is one of the earth moving publications. I have read parts of it (I say parts because I'm not a mathematician nor scientist) and am blown away by his work. It is interesting to point out that he taught himself geometry by reading Euclid's "Elements" in Greek. He inspired me to go and get my own copy!

Phog Allen said:

You get a bit more reflective as you grow older. I've just turned 44 so while not "old" I'm certainly no kid anymore. Upon checking into Newton's life, I discovered that he published his masterpiece at the same age. It made me take notice that I have done nothing too worthwhile in my life and this man who lived and worked by whale oil lamps and horse powered transportation defined our laws of gravity and modern physics. I am struck by how full of ourselves we are at times. Sorry if this sounds a bit melancholy.

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Before you get too down on yourself, don't forget that 1) Newton was a genius at a level that few could aspire to; and 2) he didn't have all the modern distractions, like television, movies, internet, iPods, etc. to occupy his time. What was there for him to do but be brilliant? I didn't own a television before I was married and I was much more productive in my spare time. Now I fill my time with all these gadgets, and I get a lot less done. I'm lately really feeling the urge to break away from all the electronics that occupy my time and do something--write, draw, sculpt, make homemade pasta, whatever--that I used to do and don't seem to have the time for anymore. Why don't I have the time? Because I'm sitting in front of the computer or the television. Of course, having a four-year-old cuts into my free time, too, but I'd rather he see me actually doing something than just cruising the net reading about doing something.

If you rank the smartest people who ever lived, he's probably number one.

Does anyone know if the rumor is true that he was a lifelong virgin? Not to change the subject or distract from the guy's genius, but just curious...

Why not. Even George Costanza became a genius when he gave up interest.

Fewer distractions

castlecraver said:

Does anyone know if the rumor is true that he was a lifelong virgin? Not to change the subject or distract from the guy's genius, but just curious...

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I don't think we'll ever know for sure, but he never married and his biographies only mention one female that he took an interest in but never married. I would venture to say that he was a lifelong virgin.

Doc4 said:

I'm 38. Mozart died when he was 35.

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What are you talking about, I'm doing just fine, thank you!

Well, Newton was indeed a "genius", but to claim that he was the smartest person ever alive is probably somewhat of a stretch. Who is to know?

Newton's work was definitely groundbreaking and a huge step forward. Unfortunately, Newton's laws, probably his most famous contribution, are also very inaccurate and have actually hindered a deeper understanding of Nature for quite some time. It always takes a lot of extra effort to step beyond a "genius's" authoritative work, to question it, and to come up with a better theory. It took people like Maxwell, Boltzmann and Einstein to jump over these hurdles.

My personal favorite is da Vinci. He had similarly fundamental insights into a whole lot more areas than Newton, and he wasn't quite as protected as Newton.

Best - MM

Funny thing is - as we get older we realize that we did more when we were younger- possible reason may be that the weight of the world has yet to make itself felt upon our young shoulders. But it is never too late to start and make a mark on this world.

Newton was great with physics and mathematics, bad with people. He was an unpleasant grump, like Beethoven, which may explain why they both may have been life long virgins. But who cares. The point is they had their successes, spectacular ones admittedly, and their failures, which were almost as big as far I am concerned.

They were loved and admired by mankind, but people couldn't stand them. Should you be jealous of these people or somehow pattern your life after them? I don't think so. For me, that is way too high a price.

Wow Dave. I don't think anyone was saying that they were jealous or mimicking Newton. At least I wasn't. I just find astounding what people with limited resources by modern standards were able to achieve. I am only trying to point out that many in the world seem to think every 'big' thing was accomplished in the 20th century. My point is simply that I don't think we have enough appreciation for those who did some pretty impressive things with man and horse power. While we think of people like Da Vinci and rightly so, what about those Romans or Persians? The Romans gave us concrete, the arch, governance outlines, and highway systems. All with no powered equipment. Newton gave us calculus without a computer or the ability work by electric lights. Yes, I would agree that these genius types often carry personality burdens that would make them difficult to deal with on a long term basis. It does not detract from the fact that people are still teaching Newton's laws and not Todd's. So if I sounded morose or envious of Newton, perish the thought. I was just awed by his scientific accomplishments.

Regards,Todd

Todd,

Sorry if I misunderstood you. I just got the feeling you were down on yourself. It's a kind of middle age thing I had a few years ago. In my own experience it is easy to gloss over the good, if not great, things I have and just think what I haven't done. I eventually realized it was probably the dumbest mental exercise I have ever gone through.

And you definitely right that not everything big was accomplished in the 20th century and we do gloss over or ignore great achievements the human mind is capable of of any time period. Look what the Greeks accomplished by just drawing in sand. Heck the Europeans have had great beer for centuries.

mozart said:

Unfortunately, Newton's laws, probably his most famous contribution, are also very inaccurate and have actually hindered a deeper understanding of Nature for quite some time.

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I'll have to take exception with that. Name a speed (it can be very fast, but something routinely attainable, conceivable, and understandable), and I'll tell you exactly how "inaccurate" Newton's laws are.

His laws didn't "hinder" a deeper understanding of nature, they allowed for it.

mozart said:

It always takes a lot of extra effort to step beyond a "genius's" authoritative work, to question it, and to come up with a better theory. It took people like Maxwell, Boltzmann and Einstein to jump over these hurdles.

Best - MM

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You know the old saw- "If I have seen far, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants."

Hey Dave, no problem. While I certainly realise that it is no good to mimic or covet what others do or have(and truly, I do not), it does make a person wonder what the heck they have done all their life. So yes, I would heartily agree that too much introspection is not good. Like you said, it may be a mid age thing. Heck, I don't need to get down on myself, I have a wife for that! I'll pay for that one.

Regards, Todd

ouch said:

I'll have to take exception with that. Name a speed (it can be very fast, but something routinely attainable, conceivable, and understandable), and I'll tell you exactly how "inaccurate" Newton's laws are.

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Newton's laws work OK for much of our macroscopic world, even - to some extent - for celestial objects...

His laws didn't "hinder" a deeper understanding of nature, the allowed for it.

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... but for microscopic objects, they break down. So, when scientists started to try to get a deeper understanding for how the Universe works, they were somewhat "trapped" by Newton's laws. They had to get the courage up to realize that they are really only approximations and that all kinds of corrections had to be made to them in order to understand very basic physical phenomena.

You mentioned "speed". Sure, one can calculate fairly accurately how much time a train will need to get from here to there given a certain speed. However, if you look at the speeds approaching that of light, things are no longer that straightforward. It took another "genius" (Einstein) to realize that "time" is not constant, something Newton had never dreamed of. So, Maxwell's, Einstein's, Planck's, etc., work provided another "quantum leap" (pun intended) in our comprehension of the Universe. That's what I meant with "deeper understanding".

Best - MM

I'm just starting on the new bio on Einstein who is certainly a fascinating individual. I would guess that many of the truly great intellectuals are short on the interpersonal social skills. Maybe that is the trade off.

Every time that my wife and I attend the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, this past weekend was Beethoven's Nos. 3 & 6 , I marvel at how great they were.

Not being a musician, it boggles me to think that a composer puts all of this together using the subtleties of all of the different instruments to achieve the wanted effect. The second marvel to me, are the musicians hitting the correct notes in unison.

Of course, I sell insulation for a living, so maybe I'm easily boggled.

mozart said:

What are you talking about, I'm doing just fine, thank you!

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Ah, I guess those reports were greatly exaggerated!

Phog Allen said:

Heck, I don't need to get down on myself, I have a wife for that! I'll pay for that one.

Regards, Todd

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Todd,

Mum's the word on that one from me