The Union of Science and Religion through Isaac Newton

1597 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Isaac Newton's contribution to science

On Christmas day in 1642, a feeble premature baby boy was born. The boy, Isaac Newton, proved to be a survivor and grew into a religiously and intellectually strong man. Intrigued by the universe that God created, Newton's faith inspired him to make many of the greatest scientific discoveries in the history of man. Newton discovered gravity, explained the motion of planets, and knew how to turn white light into a rainbow. He wrote one of the greatest scientific works of all time: The Principia. Newton believed that religion and science went hand in hand and did his scientific work to bring light to the creation of God. He wanted to leave a lasting impression of the glory of God in people's lives by uncovering the mysteries of God's works. Indeed Newton did unveil mysteries. He established order where magic and myths had previously been. Undoubtedly, he left a lasting impression on the world. In his effort to prove the congruence of science and religion, Newton created an unending era of scientific thought that did not complement religion, but instead began to smother it. As science began providing intellectual answers to mysteries of the world, it became unnecessary for people to rely on faith for answers. Indeed Newton's theories left a permanent mark on humanity. The paradoxical way in which his intentions to glorify God weakened religion on a worldwide scale would have mortified him.1

Although history most reveres Newton as a scientific genius, his theological knowledge was also outstanding. John Locke wrote, "Mr. Newton is a very valuable man, not only for his wonderful skill in mathematics, but in divinity too, and his great knowledge of the Scriptures, wherein I know few equals . . .."2 Newton s...

... middle of paper ...

...Fauvel, John, et al. Oxford: Oxford UP. 1988. 241-248.

- Brooke, John. "The God of Isaac Newton." Let Newton Be. Eds. Fauvel, John, et al.

Oxford UP. 1988. 169-183.

- Davies, Paul. God and the New Physics. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1983.

- Davies, Paul. The Mind of God. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1992.

- Gould, Stephen Jay. Rocks of Ages: Science and Religion in the Fullness of Life. New

York: The Ballantine Publishing Group. 1999.

- Lightman, Alan. Dance For Two. New York: Pantheon Books. 1996.

- Manuel, Frank E. The Religion of Isaac Newton. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1974.

- Newton, Isaac. The Principia. New York: Prometheus Books. 1995.

- White, Michael. Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer. Reading: Perseus Books. 1997.

- Wilson, Edward O. Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge. New York: Vintage Books. 1998.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Stephen Jay Gould 'Biology In Context'

    1434 Words  | 3 Pages

    The respective areas of science and religion always seem to be overlapping, or stepping on the other area’s toes. In his book, Stephen Jay Gould addresses the topic of Non-Overlapping Magesteria, or NOMA. Gould examines the principles of NOMA as a solution to the supposed false conflict between religion and science. (Pg. 6) He starts off his argument on NOMA by telling a story of “Two Thomas’s.” The first Thomas is from the bible, of which he makes three appearances in the Gospel of John. The second Thomas, is a Reverend Thomas Burnet. Thomas the Apostle defends the magesteria of science in the wrong magesteria of faith, while the Reverend Thomas proclaims religious ideas within the magesteria of science.

    Read More

  • Galileo's Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, 1695

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his Letter to The Grand Duchess Christina, Galileo challenged the widely accepted religious beliefs of the time, claiming that the conflict lies in their interpretation, not the context. In Galileo’s eyes science was an extremely useful tool that could and should have been used in interpreting the Scriptures. He argued that “the intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven not how heaven goes” (Grand Duchess). The purpose of science was not to counter what the bible teaches; rather its purpose was to help explain the teachings of the scriptures. Furthermore, it was “prudent to affirm that the holy Bible can never speak untruth-whenever its true meaning is understood” (Grand Duchess). However, because of the terminology in which the bible was presented the perception of what the Scripture defined as truth was skewed. The Bible was written so that the common man could understand it and follow its commandments. The people also showed a greater inte...

    Read More

  • Newton's Negative Neglect

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ball, Rouse. “Sir Isaac Newton.” A Short Account of the History of Mathematics. 4th ed. Print.

    Read More

  • The Contributions of Isaac Newton

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Enlightenment characterizes a philosophical movement of the 18th century that emphasized the use of reason to analyze and scrutinize all previously accepted traditions and doctrines. Through this application of scientific method to all aspects of life, the role of science gradually replaced the role of religion. Sir Isaac Newton, quite possibly one of the most intelligent men to exist, played a key role in the development of the enlightenment. He supplied the foundations on which all sciences since him have been built. Without science and reason the enlightenment would have been unthinkable. In fact, historians quote the publishment of Newton's masterpiece Principia in 1687 as the most logical and fitting catalyst to the enlightenment. The scientific advances made by Sir Isaac Newton contributed immensely to the movement of the enlightenment; however, his primary purposes for discovery were not for scientific advancement rather all for the glorification of God, thus Newton's incredible religiousness will be seen in this paper.

    Read More

  • The Scientific Revolution

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...just as Kepler had sought to make sense of Brahe's vast amount of data, Newton sought to make sense of all the recently discovered science. While Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo and others had achieved a piece of the puzzle, they had done more to destroy the old "universal" theory of Aristotle than arrive at a new one. It was Isaac Newton who finally published in his Principia the "Universal Gravitation Theory" and other laws of motion which explained the motion of every item and object in the universe, from Kepler's elliptical orbits to Galileo's metal balls. By combining the observation and theories from those before him, he was able to use the scientific method to mathematically derive this "synthesis", which led some to call him the "Supreme genius of the scientific revolution.

    Read More

  • The World at the Time of Sir Isaac Newton

    2275 Words  | 5 Pages

    When most people hear the name Isaac Newton, they think of various laws of physics and the story of the apple falling from the tree; in addition, some may even think of him as the inventor of calculus. However, there was much more to Newton’s life which was in part molded by the happenings around the world. The seventeenth century was a time of great upheaval and change around the world. The tumultuousness of this era was due mostly to political and religious unrest which in effect had a great impact on the mathematics and science discoveries from the time Newton was born in 1646 until the early 1700’s.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Galileo Galilei's Letter To The Copernican Theory?

    1613 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1615, Galileo Galilei wrote the Letter to the Grand Duchess of Tuscany. The purpose of the letter was to persuade the duchess of Tuscany, Christina of the validity behind the Copernican theory.To defend the Copernican theory, Galileo argues that theology shouldn’t be involved with the sciences. This is one of the arguments that sparked the debate of what we know today, as science versus religion.

    Read More

  • Newtonian Influence On Religion

    295 Words  | 1 Pages

    Newtonianism has been an influence on many. You see my name has been used to describe many different viewpoints. My name has had such an influential effect that it has become a religion. Newtonianism sees me as a paradigm of rational belief and my work was a model for understanding and looking at the universe in the terms of laws. It was put in many social and cultural areas in the eighteenth century. My work was an inspiration for many others. As my work did inspire others to look into the world of science and the mysteries of the universe, it also had some bad effects when it came to religion. Voltaire, a philosopher, was mainly responsible for popularizing Newtonian ideas across Europe. Christians saw Newtonian ideas as a threat to them

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On The Scientific Revolution

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...wever, in the best interest of advancing education and an enlightened society, science must be pursued outside of the realm of faith and religion. There are obvious faith-based and untestable aspects of religion, but to interfere and cross over into everyday affairs of knowledge should not occur in the informational age. This overbearing aspect of the Church’s influence was put in check with the scientific era, and the Scientific Revolution in a sense established the facet of logic in society, which allows us to not only live more efficiently, but intelligently as well. It should not take away from the faith aspect of religion, but serve to enhance it.

    Read More

  • Isaac Newton's Laws Of Motion

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    Isaac Newton was an English physicist and mathematician and is now considered a widely recognised scientist because of the work that he did by contribution to scientific knowledge. He is known for creation 3 laws of motion that have stood correct for three centuries.

    Read More

  • Biography of Isaac Newton

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sir Isaac Newton Jan 4 1643 - March 31 1727 On Christmas day by the georgian calender in the manor house of Woolsthorpe, England, Issaac Newton was born prematurely. His father had died 3 months before. Newton had a difficult childhood. His mother, Hannah Ayscough Newton remarried when he was just three, and he was sent to live with his grandparents. After his stepfather’s death, the second father who died, when Isaac was 11, Newtons mother brought him back home to Woolsthorpe in Lincolnshire where he was educated at Kings School, Grantham. Newton came from a family of farmers and he was expected to continue the farming tradition , well that’s what his mother thought anyway, until an uncle recognized how smart he was. Newton's mother removed him from grammar school in Grantham where he had shown little promise in academics. Newtons report cards describe him as 'idle' and 'inattentive'. So his uncle decided that he should be prepared for the university, and he entered his uncle's old College, Trinity College, Cambridge, in June 1661. Newton had to earn his keep waiting on wealthy students because he was poor. Newton's aim at Cambridge was a law degree. At Cambridge, Isaac Barrow who held the Lucasian chair of Mathematics took Isaac under his wing and encouraged him. Newton got his undergraduate degree without accomplishing much and would have gone on to get his masters but the Great Plague broke out in London and the students were sent home. This was a truely productive time for Newton.

    Read More

  • Calculus, Leibniz and Newton

    2305 Words  | 5 Pages

    Newton, Isaac. The Correspondence of Isaac Newton. Vol. 7, 1718-1727. Edited by A. Rupert Hall and Laura Tilling. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press for the Royal Society, 1977.

    Read More

  • The Thinking about Nature throughout the Enlightenment

    633 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ist (Outraw, 2013, p. 100). These ideas of Newton inspired the basic of Deism. According to deist thinkers, observations and the ‘reason’ is enough to believe the existence of God and there is not a need for theological methods for this.

    Read More

  • The Life of Sir Isaac Newton

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    Isaac Newton was born on January 4, 1643 in Woolsthorpe, England where he grew up. His father, also named Isaac Newton, was a prosperous farmer who died three months before Isaacs’s birth. Isaac was born premature; he was very tiny and weak and wasn’t expected to live (bio).

    Read More

  • The Impact of the Scientific Revolution on Society and Religion

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over the course of the years, society has been reformed by new ideas of science. We learn more and more about global warming, outer space, and technology. However, this pattern of gaining knowledge did not pick up significantly until the Scientific Revolution. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century, the Scientific Revolution started, which concerned the fields of astronomy, mechanics, and medicine. These new scientists used math and observations strongly contradicting religious thought at the time, which was dependent on the Aristotelian-Ptolemy theory. However, astronomers like Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton accepted the heliocentric theory. Astronomical findings of the Scientific Revolution disproved the fact that humans were the center of everything, ultimately causing people to question theology’s role in science and sparking the idea that people were capable of reasoning for themselves.

    Read More

More about The Union of Science and Religion through Isaac Newton

Open Document