Abstract
Abstract
Ever since the release of his scientific and religious manuscripts by the online Newton Project (www.newtonproject.ox.ac.uk), currently hosted by Oxford University, Isaac Newton (1642-1727) presents an appealing case study for exploring the knotty relationship between science and religion in the 17th century. Ushering in Newtonian physics as the modern scientific revolution, Newton is yet considered to be living in a pre-Newtonian world (Gleick, 2003), identified as the last magician (Keynes, 1946) and sorcerer (White, 1997), and regarded to possess a self-image as the last restorer of Christian truth along the line of Abraham, Moses and Jesus Christ (Iliffe, 2017). Situated at the intersection between the pre-modern and modern eras of science, Newton comes from the tradition of Kepler (1571-1630) and Galileo (1564-1642), where the harmony between God and science is, respectively, conceived as a necessary and non-negligible element for scientific theories. On the other hand, since the proclamation of Laplace (1749-1827) that his scientific theories do not rely on the hypothesis of God (Hawking, 2011), modern science has gained momentum in naturalizing itself. Salient examples are the views of Albert Einstein (1879-1955), that belief in a personal God constitutes a hindrance to scientific progress, and of Stephen Hawking (1942-2018), that spontaneity should serve as the scientific explanation of the origin of the universe. Hawking’s spontaneity thesis stands in stark contrast with Newton’s Principia, where he inserts the general scholium on God “certainly as part of ‘natural’ philosophy [i.e., science]” in the second edition (Newton, 1999, p.943) and a statement about God’s role in the third edition to explain why “fixed stars will not fall upon one another as a result of their gravity” (p.940), namely why the universe does not collapse onto itself in the face of gravity. Elaborating on this intricate intellectual background, I highlight the nuances of Newton’s views that underlie the interwoven relationships between science and religion during the 17th century. I conclude the paper by pinpointing a key to understanding the controversy in the applications of Ockham’s razor in different scientific worldviews.
Keywords: Newton; Principia; science; religion; God
References
1.Einstein, A. (1994) Ideas and Opinions. Translated by Bargmann, S. Reprint edition. New York: Modern Library.
2.Galileo, G. (1957). Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo. Translated by Drake, S. 24th edition. New York: Anchor Books.
3.Gleick, J. (2003) Isaac Newton. New York: Pantheon Books.
4.Hawking, S. and Mlodinow, L. (2011) The Grand Design. New York: Bantam Books Trade Paperbacks.
5.Iliffe, R. (2017) The Priest of Nature: The Religious Worlds of Isaac Newton. New York: Oxford University Press.
6.Kepler, J. (1995) Epitome of Copernican Astronomy and Harmonies of the World. Translated by Wallis, C. G. New York: Prometheus Books.
7.Keynes, J. M. (1946) Newton, the Man. https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Extras/Keynes_Newton/. Retrieved on 13 May 2024.
8.Newton, I. (1999). Isaac Newton: The Principia. Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. A new translation by B. Cohen and A. Whitman. Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of California Press.
9.White, M. (1997) Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer. Reading, Massachusetts: Perseus Books.
Ever since the release of his scientific and religious manuscripts by the online Newton Project (www.newtonproject.ox.ac.uk), currently hosted by Oxford University, Isaac Newton (1642-1727) presents an appealing case study for exploring the knotty relationship between science and religion in the 17th century. Ushering in Newtonian physics as the modern scientific revolution, Newton is yet considered to be living in a pre-Newtonian world (Gleick, 2003), identified as the last magician (Keynes, 1946) and sorcerer (White, 1997), and regarded to possess a self-image as the last restorer of Christian truth along the line of Abraham, Moses and Jesus Christ (Iliffe, 2017). Situated at the intersection between the pre-modern and modern eras of science, Newton comes from the tradition of Kepler (1571-1630) and Galileo (1564-1642), where the harmony between God and science is, respectively, conceived as a necessary and non-negligible element for scientific theories. On the other hand, since the proclamation of Laplace (1749-1827) that his scientific theories do not rely on the hypothesis of God (Hawking, 2011), modern science has gained momentum in naturalizing itself. Salient examples are the views of Albert Einstein (1879-1955), that belief in a personal God constitutes a hindrance to scientific progress, and of Stephen Hawking (1942-2018), that spontaneity should serve as the scientific explanation of the origin of the universe. Hawking’s spontaneity thesis stands in stark contrast with Newton’s Principia, where he inserts the general scholium on God “certainly as part of ‘natural’ philosophy [i.e., science]” in the second edition (Newton, 1999, p.943) and a statement about God’s role in the third edition to explain why “fixed stars will not fall upon one another as a result of their gravity” (p.940), namely why the universe does not collapse onto itself in the face of gravity. Elaborating on this intricate intellectual background, I highlight the nuances of Newton’s views that underlie the interwoven relationships between science and religion during the 17th century. I conclude the paper by pinpointing a key to understanding the controversy in the applications of Ockham’s razor in different scientific worldviews.
Keywords: Newton; Principia; science; religion; God
References
1.Einstein, A. (1994) Ideas and Opinions. Translated by Bargmann, S. Reprint edition. New York: Modern Library.
2.Galileo, G. (1957). Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo. Translated by Drake, S. 24th edition. New York: Anchor Books.
3.Gleick, J. (2003) Isaac Newton. New York: Pantheon Books.
4.Hawking, S. and Mlodinow, L. (2011) The Grand Design. New York: Bantam Books Trade Paperbacks.
5.Iliffe, R. (2017) The Priest of Nature: The Religious Worlds of Isaac Newton. New York: Oxford University Press.
6.Kepler, J. (1995) Epitome of Copernican Astronomy and Harmonies of the World. Translated by Wallis, C. G. New York: Prometheus Books.
7.Keynes, J. M. (1946) Newton, the Man. https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Extras/Keynes_Newton/. Retrieved on 13 May 2024.
8.Newton, I. (1999). Isaac Newton: The Principia. Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. A new translation by B. Cohen and A. Whitman. Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of California Press.
9.White, M. (1997) Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer. Reading, Massachusetts: Perseus Books.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Science, Faith and Superstition: Book of Abstracts |
| Editors | Ljiljana Radenović, Dejan Dželebdžić, Rastko Jevtić, Petar Nurkić |
| Publisher | University of Belgrade - Faculty of Philosophy |
| Pages | 15 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-86-6427-315-2 |
| Publication status | Published - 29 Jun 2024 |
| Event | Science, Faith and Superstition - University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia Duration: 27 Jun 2024 → 29 Jun 2024 |
Conference
| Conference | Science, Faith and Superstition |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Serbia |
| City | Belgrade |
| Period | 27/06/24 → 29/06/24 |
Keywords
- Newton
- Principia
- science
- religion
- God