JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
A Comprehensive, Academic Journal of the Philosophy, History, Sociology and Cultural Studies of Science and Technology
Author Information
Cornelis J. Schilt
Information
Research Articles
-
Isaac Newton and the Knowledge of the Ancients Abstract: Isaac Newton is rightly credited with the discovery of the laws of gravity, the development of mathematical calculus, and the transformation of natural philosophy into modern-day classical physics. Yet Newton himself firmly believed that he created nothing new. Instead, he considered of all knowledge as ancient, revealed to mankind by God at the beginning of time. Although man’s fall from grace and his subsequent idolatrous practices meant much of that knowledge had become obscured or lost, throughout history sages such as Zoroaster, Hermes, and Plato, had passed on their knowledge to those who studied their writings diligently. In this paper, I argue that exactly this underlying belief in the antiquity of knowledge connects Newton’s various studies in domains that seem very disconnected today, such as mathematics, alchemy, and the study of mythology and chronology. Through a close examination of Newton’s manuscript legacy and the use of Newton’s notes by one of his disciples, the Scottish mathematician David Gregory, I explore these connections and show how in order to understand Newton’s thinking in areas such as natural philosophy, we must take very seriously his studies of ancient writings, because Newton took these studies very seriously himself. Key Words: Isaac Newton; Ancient knowledge; David Gregory; PrincipiaIssue:Volume 47, lssue 5, May 2025Page: 1-10
JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
- Contact Us
- Address: No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China
- Phone: +86-10-88256007
- Email:jdn@ucas.ac.cn
Follow Us
© 2014 Copyright of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
© 2014 Copyright of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
