Category: Isaac Newton

The scientific revolution was a time of radical change throughout Europe. This rapid development of man leads to our modern concept of science. Changes in religion and thought also developed the scientific revolution. Many prominent figures were leaders in this time of growth including Robert Bacon, who developed the scientific method, and Galileo who was able to use the telescope to make important observations. However, only two can be considered the “fathers” of the scientific revolution, and Newton and Descartes laid the foundation of science. These two are the fathers of the scientific revolution because of their questioning of religion, their respective laws that they developed were advanced for the time and their ideas on the heavens were a radical change from the natural philosophy.

Newton believed that our observations determine the truth. His method of reasoning leads him to question church authority by claiming there was no trinity (Newton 343). Newton’s questioning of the church was occurring during the protestant reformation. People in Europe were beginning to look at scriptures for themselves and praying without mediators. Finding our truths can be hard, it’s in human nature to follow people in power. Newton took the first steps in looking for his truth of the world and not a blind truth is given to him by others. Questioning the church also lead Newton to believe that we should love and worship God with all our souls and to worshipping anything else, including saints, was a sin (Newton 345). Newton wanted people to not place so much power in things that weren’t God. We also have a duty to our fellow man and Newton stressed the importance of loving your neighbor (Newton 347).

Newton’s law of gravity was a modern concept that he developed that is still taught today. His contributions to the scientific revolution also played a part in the enlightenment. His law of gravity claims that the universe is ruled by rational law, so in theory, society should be rational as well. Newton’s laws of objects and how forces acted on them set the foundation for modern science and an understanding of the universe that is still being followed today (Newton 269).

The movements of the heavens that Newton developed also strengthened his title of being one of the fathers of the scientific revolution. The heavens are fluid, free of resistance, but follow certain motions caused by the gravitational pull of the planets and sun (Newton 257-259). This changed the way people thought about the universe. This force that was unseen to the eye was powerful enough to cause the motions of the universe. Newton also developed modern ideas of centripetal forces being drawn to the center of the planet.

Descartes’s challenges of orthodox religious ideas also lead to his contributions to the scientific revolution. His perception and psychological impressions of the universe lead to his reasoning was that there must be a creator because we have this concept of imperfection. The only way we can know that we’re imperfect beings is to know what perfection would be. Our knowledge of perfection comes from God (Dear 85). We know of imperfection because God gave us the understanding of perfection.

Descartes’s laws that he developed lay a foundation of certainty for his method (Dear 83). He claimed that we should never accept anything we can’t know, divide each issue into as many parts as possible, start with simple objects and move to the more complex, layout as many examples as possible and be extensive in discussions. Descartes’s laws are still a modern way to organize scientific thought and his contributions lead to the scientific revolution. He says that our senses deceive us and the knowledge that we gained through our senses will always lack certainty (Dear 84). His ideas on how to look for truth critically and in tiny details enabled him to become a father of the scientific revolution. He said it is easy to find doubt, but also easy to reject if you’re wrong (Dear 85). Science will never be exactly the first time you try an experiment, it takes people repeating the same thing over and over to see if the results are the same. Trying the same thing over and over to prove something’s truth is what science is all about, but it is so easy to reject those truths too if you’re wrong.

Descartes also made his work easy to understand for the common person by using analogies and giving characteristics to objects. His work appeals to common experience by using everyday concepts and mechanical analogies (Dear 91). He used wine grapes to help describe pressure and compared it to how light is like a liquid and a blind man can’t perceive this because the light is like pressure on the eye. His work was also made more available to the public because during this time the printing press was moving away from secular sources. Descartes’s deliberate novelty and easy to imagine explanations lead him to be a father of the scientific revolution (Dear 100). He was able to let common people seek out their truth and his contributions make him one of the fathers of the scientific revolution.

Newton and Descartes’s methods and ideas helped move the scientific revolution forward. They became the fathers of the scientific revolution by questioning what was already given as fact. Learning with their own eyes and ears instead of relying on others leads to their radical change from past ideas that made them prominent figures during the scientific revolution. Newton and Descartes are still seen in the foundations of modern science and they undoubtedly are the fathers of the scientific revolution.

There have been many remarkable ages in the history of mankind. All of these periods and achievements have undoubtedly assisted in shaping our present and impending future. However, there is one period in our time that has shaped our modern world simultaneously with the advancement of the scientific disciplines. This period of time is known as the “Scientific Revolution” and what allows it to stand out from all others is the effect it had on societal views of the natural world. The progression of astronomy, physics, and mathematics alone figuratively transformed the natural world into a tangible, observable, and experimental playground for ideas. From the explosion of these new ideas, the world merrily moved towards a period of intellectual collection of social thought, marking us as a more civil people.

There is no definitive process in determining which age was the most influential during its period. The discussion of importance and significance is generally demarcated by the historians’ scientific desire. Of course, there is little argument against the idea that all knowledge gained generously aids in the conception of other innovative ideas. This is the elegance of scientific thought in conjunction with the natural world, the aforementioned operate in a symbiotic fashion. But ideas generated during the Renaissance truly came to fruition and culmination during the Scientific Revolution.

The Scientific Revolution occurred from the 17th until the late 18th century in Europe. However, there is no specific period in which can be definitively established. The revolution was brought on by the ushering of pre-modern scientific ideas and theories. So, the definitive timeline will differ from person to person depending on their perception of revolutionary achievement. The participants of this time period were some of the most astute and determined scientists of any period before or after. In order to achieve what was shaped for modern science, these intellectuals had to fight against ideas that were established over a millennium earlier. The Catholic Church was an unavoidable and ruthless enemy to the sciences early in the revolution. For example, Galileo Galilei was forced to condemn his scientific discoveries on a heliocentric universe, which he had so proudly sponsored. Though, Giordano Bruno, an Italian Monk was burned at the stake by the Catholic church for the same promotion of ideas. This was the beginning of modern science and the inevitable but shaky truce between science and God.

Notably, there were many men and women who deserve accolades and awards of immense proportions. But there was one man who made the universe tangible and observable to every one of us, Isaac Newton. Isaac Newton was many things to include a mathematician, astronomer, physicist, and Christian. None of his ideas specifically contradicted the church, so he was free to work as he pleased. Though he did reject the idea of the holy trinity, he did not make it public. This was likely due to possibly losing funding and being condemned which would have severely hindered his research. All of his achievements are of the utmost significance to the present, but his theories are not specifically what had the most impact during his period. His ideas were commendable but they also reinforced the theories of his predecessors.

When the contender is evidence-based the opponent will always be human emotion and bias. This was surely the case in the 1600s when information and knowledge were generally disseminated by the clergy. Only in the case of scientific advancement was this an unfortunate scenario. During these times men of the cloth were a figurative enforcer of God’s commandments, but much of science contradicts their beliefs. Before Isaac Newton and his theory on gravity and the laws of motion, there was a man by the name of Nicolaus Copernicus. Copernicus was developing the theory of heliocentricity which was considered heresy by the church. Heliocentricity is the theory that is now common knowledge, the Earth and all other celestial objects in our system orbit around the Sun. The church however believed that the Earth was the center of the Universe. His ideas were only whispered amongst the people until his death. His book “De revolutionibus orbium coelestium” was then published which described an alternative view of the Universe. This was not published until his death because of the possible criticism and apprehension that he may have received from the church. However, Newton took Copernicus’ idea of heliocentricity and refined it further by creating a new branch of mathematics called calculus.

Isaac Newton continued refining ideas from his predecessors by observing the natural world. Johannes Keppler developed the Laws of Planetary Motion which took the orbiting objects in our system from a circular orbit to an elliptical one. This could be seen as a foundation or a culmination of Isaac Newton many years later with his Laws of Gravitation. Gravity, inertia, and force maintained Kepplers’ theory and could not exist without it. However, without planetary motion gravity would have no purpose for existence. Even though he was a brilliant originator of new and amazing ideas; his contribution to science and society was much more.

For his entire life, Newton was a devout Christian who used these theologian roots to influence his adventure into discovery. He could be described now as a creationist vice and evolutionist. That being said, he utilized his intellect to describe and unravel the mechanics of the Universe but insisted that it not be defined as a machine. To quote 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.”. His conviction was to his God but his desire was the observation and explanation of the unknown. Though, he wasn’t a conventional Christian of that time and spoke most of his beliefs in private. This led to the designation of a natural philosopher during his lifetime. Religion has been undeniably a significant hindrance to the advancement of science. That is to say that the ideas of those who rejected the idea of an orthodox omnipotent being were rejected and disavowed. This is a blatant occurrence of bias as those under the church that developed ideas were used to explain the Universe as the church believed.

Fortunately, regardless of Newton’s religious beliefs, his findings are still accurate and relevant today. Many would contest that the success of an era is established by the accomplishments and advancements alone. On the contrary, it’s the further development of previous ideas, especially those that were rejected by the ignorant majority. This challenge against the establishment is what allowed Isaac Newton to pave the way for the societal changes leading to the Enlightenment. Albeit, there were numerous contributors to the subsequent change in the shift in society. But none were as prominent or effectual as the man who unraveled the mystery of gravity who inspired Albert Einstein himself.

Not only was he a pioneer in multiple scientific disciplines and ensured that those martyred before him were not murdered in vain. His work remains commonplace in the modern era and is ever-enduring. Unfortunately like many accomplishments, it is unlikely he could perceive the future of his work and how he eventually shaped the future for his species. When studying theoretical ideas and reaching conclusions, it is generally the generation or next that benefits from the labor. This differs in respect to said fields such as medicine where the discovery of sanitation could be implemented immediately and near-instant results would confirm the success. It is quite unlikely that the desire for instant reward was as ingrained into society as it is today.

Some of the greatest accomplishments will not always be observable, quantifiable, or probably even perceivable. That is to say that not all success is measured and tangible presently. To fully appreciate and realize how an invention, theory, or person has affected an era simply remove the abovementioned from its present. Depending on what was removed it is likely that said element would still have been discovered clearly later in the timeline. But if Isaac Newton were removed from his timeline his previous present would look much different as would the future. His ideas were both standalone and supported by previous scientists that also created and merged foundations in the scientific community. The way that he challenged the church non-confrontationally with his religious and scientific beliefs helped to transform society. By showing the masses that you can believe in science and have faith in religion while allowing them to support one another, was likely the Scientific Revolution’s greatest achievement.

Creative imagination is an intentional imagination. It involves a process of analysing, processing and combine to generate new, valuable and unique ideas from sensory experience. A person needs to be fully understood the materials and using creative and critical thinking to generate a valuable idea which can benefit the world. Creative imagination is vital to everyone especially philosophers, artists, inventors and leaders (ENCYCLOpedia.com, 2019).

Wright Brothers

There is an example, Wilbur and Orville Wright. They were American inventors of the airplane. In 1903, the Wright brothers brought out the first controllable and powered airplane. They finally invented the practical airplane after two years. Their father, Milton Wright was a bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. He loved his children a lot. He always brought small gifts to children after his preaching. In 1878, Milton Wright brought a small helicopter model for the Wright Brothers. The helicopter model is about a foot long. It made of paper, bamboo, and cork and with a rubber ring to drive its propeller. The two brothers played the toy happily. After breaking it, they tried to make one by themselves. The Wright brothers later recalled that it was this toy that inspired their strong interest in flying (History.com Editors, 2019).

Before they invented the airplane, the Wright Brothers had dealt with bicycle repair, printing machines, automobiles and other types of machines. This helped them to have a strong foundation theory and affect their critical thinking in problem solving (Tom D. Crouch, 2018).

The invention of airplane benefits the world especially in tourism industry. The Wright Brothers did not only introduce the first powered airplane, yet they also launched the world into the aviation (UKESSAYS, 2018).

Isaac Newton

Another example is Isaac Newton, an English physicist and mathematician, who discovered motion and gravity. Between 1665 and 1667, Newton came back from school. He sat under an apple tree at his courtyard and thinking about the reason for planet orbiting the sun. At the same time, he saw an apple happened to fall. He began to think: if the apples were ripe, they will fall, but if the apple tree grew taller, will they fall? Then, Newton related the question to the moon and got epiphany from the natural phenomenon of the apple landing, and found the gravitation (Biography.com Editors, 2019).

This discovery of gravity helps the world to know that each planet has own gravity. A person will experience different weights when he stays at different planet (NASA Science, 2019).

My Experience

My ability is not as great as the Wright Brothers and Isaac Newton, but I enjoyed the moment that using creative and critical thinking to achieve the task given. I attended a two-day, one-night camp during my secondary 5. I was chosen as a team leader. The camp’s program included performance competition. I wanted to be more creative than others. Because of time constraints, I directly referred to the other people’s dance on the Internet and the opinions of group members. We decided to present a stage play. In discussing our script, everyone was active and continued spoke out new and creative ideas. In the end, we won the competition because of our creative presentation.

Conclusion

All in all, create and imagine are vital in our life. We should not only limit by reality and yet to realize we all have unlimited creativity. A proverb: ‘Everything you can imagine is real.’ Said Pablo Picasso. Everyone has the ability to enter unknown industry and try something new and different. And do not be afraid to make a mistake because we learn from mistakes (K. Ferlic, n.d.)