Let Newton Be!

By Michael Shortland, Robin J. Wilson, R Flood, et al.

Book Overview

Over the three hundred years since the publication of his Principia Mathematica, Newton has come to symbolize the ideal of scientist and mathematician par excellence. Let Newton Be (the title comes from a famous couplet by Alexander Pope) explores the many facets of Newton's life, labors, and legacy.
Incorporating much new evidence about Newton uncovered in the last two decades, the contributors examine Newton's work in mathematics and optics, his secret experiments with alchemy, his unconventional religious views, the negative reaction to his work (as seen, for instance, in the poetry of William Blake), and his legacy for modern science. Richly illustrated, vividly written, and based on the latest scholarship, Let Newton Be offers an absorbing introduction to Britain's greatest scientist as well as a fascinating study in the history of ideas.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198539371
• ISBN13: 9780198539377
• Release Date: March 1990
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 1.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.7" x 0.6" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

A real eye-opener!

More than any other I have found, this book brought Isaac Newton to life: as a brilliant human being, but still just a human being, with as broad a spectrum of flaws, quirks and vulnerabilities as any of us have. It shows him more as some of his contemporaries may have seen him, before the publication of the Principia began to transform him into a shining demigod of the Enlightenment. It does shine a light on his admittedly obsessive (but still sensible, focused, meticulous and sincere) investigations of theological and alchemical claims that mattered greatly to his generation. Many of these investigations proved to be fruitless, but that does not diminish the man. For these claims lost much of their interest to later generations precisely because the new analytical tools that Newton published in the Principia enabled revolutionary advances in physical knowledge that rapidly pushed alchemy and theology onto the sidelines of intellectual history.Truly a wonderful, balanced and satisfying collection of essays, each written by an expert in a particular perspective on Newton's life and work. I would welcome publication of similar collections of lucid, expert essays on Robert Boyle and Charles Darwin.