The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, The Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World

“God was a mathematician, seventeenth-century scientists firmly believed. He had written His laws in a mathematical code. Their task was to find the key.’’This deep, unshakable, overriding ‘faith’ in the mathematical creator, was the foundation for the scientific breakthrough.“My focus is largely on the climax of the story, especially Newton’s unveiling, in 1687, of his theory of gravitation. But Newton’s astonishing achievement built on the work of such titans as Descartes, Galileo, and Kepler, who themselves had deciphered paragraphs and even whole pages of God’s cosmic code. We will examine their breakthroughs and false trails, too.’’“All these thinkers had two traits in common. They were geniuses, and they had utter faith that the universe had been designed on impeccable mathematical lines. What follows is the story of a group of scientists who set out to read God’s mind.’’ (176)This work does marvelous job of explaining the process that destroyed one world and then started another. Moreover, Dolnick paints clear portraits of the men who did it, and the strange (to us) religious motives that drove their lives.Why should we, in this scientific/technological age, give any thought to this? Note . . .“Just as Newton had discovered the laws of inanimate nature, so would some new thinker find the laws of human nature. A handful of rules would explain all the apparent happenstance of history, psychology, and politics. Better still, once its laws came to be understood, society could be reshaped in a rational way.’’This ‘faith’ in human reason, human ‘science’, surfaced in the French Revolution, and resurfaced in the Russian revolutions and drives much of the political/psychological/economic thought now.“America’s founding fathers argued explicitly that the success of the scientific approach foretold their own success. Free minds would make the world anew. Rather than defer to tradition and authority, the new thinkers would start from first principles and build on that sturdy foundation. Kings and other accidental tyrants would be overthrown, sensible and self-regulating institutions set in their place.’’Overthrowing tyrants was great! Installing Robespierre and Hitler was not!(''Woodrow Wilson, on the campaign trail in 1912, told voters that it was time for the federal government to be liberated from its outmoded eighteenth-century scheme of checks and balances.''''Government, Wilson said, was a living organism, “accountable to Darwin, not to Newton.” Since no living thing can survive when its organs work against one another, a government must be free to adapt to its times, or else it will perish. The adaptation Wilson had in mind was to neutralize Congress and consolidate power in a vigorous executive.'' - “Illiberal Reformers” by Thomas C. Leonard)“In the portrait of himself that he liked best, Benjamin Franklin sat deep in thought in front of a bust of Newton, who watched his protégé approvingly. Thomas Jefferson installed a portrait of Newton in a place of honor at Monticello. As they spelled out the design of America’s political institutions, the founders clung to the model of a smooth-running, self-regulating universe. In the eyes of the men who made America, the checks and balances that ensured political stability were directly analogous to the natural pushes and pulls that kept the solar system in balance.’’People are not machines, no matter how hard you you force them to become one.“The Constitution of the United States had been made under the dominion of the Newtonian theory,” Woodrow Wilson would later write. If you read the Federalist papers, Wilson continued, the evidence jumped out “on every page.” The Constitution was akin to a scientific theory, and the amendments played the role of experiments that helped define and test that theory.’’Well. . .This work is outstanding presentation of the change from medieval world to modern.How did it happen?Why then?Who responsible?Key dates and events . . .1543 Copernicus publishes On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres, which says that the planets circle the sun rather than the Earth1600 Shakespeare writes Hamlet1609 Kepler publishes his first two laws, about the paths of planets as they orbit the sun1610 Galileo turns a telescope to the heavens1619 Kepler publishes his third law, which tells how the planets’ orbits relate to one another1633 Inquisition puts Galileo on trial1637 Descartes declares “I think, therefore I am,” and, in the same book, unveils coordinate geometry1642 Galileo dies1642 Newton born1660 Official founding of the Royal Society1664–66 Newton’s “miracle years.” He invents calculus and calculates gravity’s pull on the moon.1674 Leeuwenhoek looks through his microscope and discovers a hidden world of “little animals”1675–76 Leibniz’s “miracle year.” He invents calculus, independently of Newton.1687 Newton publishes the Principia, which describes “The System of the World”1704 Newton publishes an account of calculus, after thirty years of near silenceDolnick explains not only the men, but even more interestingly, the world (both physical and mental) in which they lived. Really provides glimpses into our past and what those key men overcame to bring modernity. For example . . .“But to judge the Principia by the accuracy of its predictions is to see only part of it. In a similar sense, you can admire Michelangelo’s Pietà as a gorgeous work of art even if you have no religious beliefs whatsoever. But to know what Newton thought he was doing, or Michelangelo, you need to take account of their religious motivation.’’This religious foundation of science is so. . .so. . .weird!“Newton had ambitions for his discoveries that stretched far beyond science. He believed that his findings were not merely technical observations but insights that could transform men’s lives. The transformation he had in mind was not the usual sort. He had little interest in flying machines or labor-saving devices. Nor did he share the view, which would take hold later, that a new era of scientific investigation would put an end to superstition and set men’s minds free. Newton’s intent in all his work was to make men more pious and devout, more reverent in the face of God’s creation. His aim was not that men rise to their feet in freedom but that they fall to their knees in awe.’’Fascinating that Newton’s impact is precisely the reverse!Another important idea is the significance of the new abstract thinking. . .“In the history of science, abstraction was crucial. It was abstraction that made it possible to look past the chaos all around us to the order behind it. The surprise in physics, for instance, was that nearly everything was beside the point. Less detail meant more insight. A rock fell in precisely the same way whether the person who dropped it was a beauty in silk or an urchin in rags. Nor did it matter if the rock was a diamond or a chunk of brick, or if it fell yesterday or a hundred years ago, or in Rome or in London.’’This was a direct attack on Aristotle. Why?“Even if a vacuum could somehow be contrived, why would anyone think that the behavior of objects in those peculiar conditions bore any relation to ordinary life? To speculate about what might happen in unreal circumstances was an exercise in absurdity, like debating whether ghosts can get sunburns.’’Seems obvious. Nevertheless, it is wrong! Galileo fought this error. . .“Galileo vehemently disagreed. Abstraction was not a distortion but a means of seeing truth unadorned. “Only by imagining an impossible situation can a clear and simple law of fall be formulated,” in the words of the late historian A. Rupert Hall, “and only by possessing that law is it possible to comprehend the complex things that actually happen.”This change, this commitment to abstraction, started the road to modernity.Dolnick writing for general reader, not scholars. Smooth, clear, pleasant and enjoyable. Closer to a historical novel than academic essay.Twenty eight color photographs. Three hundred twenty footnotes, extensive bibliography and index.(I also listened to the audible version. Excellent rendition. So pleasant and effective, I plan on returning. Great!)

I am a lawyer with a major focus in family law. I have bought this book for all four of my adult children and their spouses. This book has been a great help to me in my representation of a particular client and her husband.I am pleased to post this book report a client's husband prepared of this wonderful short history of the British Royal Society, which is no less than a summary of Mankind's entry into the modern world of science.My client's husband had been lead down a false path. As a result, he and she were talking about moving to a foreign country in order to be safe from future chaos in America.As a condition of representing her, he had to agree to read three books. This is one of them. His first report on "Don't Believe Everything You Know" was perceptive and impassioned. I am proud to have edited the report below to my style, but the thoughts are his. It is a remarkable accomplishment to make such steps so quickly. I am very proud of him, for loving his wife enough to be willing to rethink his world view, and for sticking to what for some people would be a boring book.The Clockwork Universe Book Report(book by Edward Dolnick)This is my summary of The Clockwork Universe. I submit it for those who may have lost their way or who have not yet begun to find it. A friend suggested this book to me at a time when I had begun to follow a path based upon unreliable information.Dolnick sets the scene by explaining the ignorance and superstition that dominated the "civilized world" until the 16th century.But, in the 1500's, our world began to change. Many of the beliefs that were held by the majority of people were being challenged by great discoveries found by great minds. Newton, Galileo, Keplar (to name a few) were brilliant men who challenged the world they lived in with the scientific discoveries that made them famous, however, they were still greatly influenced by the method of thinking that seemed to take many minds captured during that time, and even until today has a great effect on many.This book focuses on the foundation that these scientists’ discoveries created on shaping the current world that we live in, but it also does a great job in showing the world which they were influenced by and the sometimes shocking, and hilarious, beliefs that gripped many minds of that era. They were members of a group known as the Royal Society. Most of their experiments were comical compared to today’s standards.Prior to this time, the beliefs the majority of people held were greatly influenced more on myth and imagination than fact. Even for these great scientists, doctors, and scholars, their beliefs, and the experiments that they performed, were outrageously “silly” compared to the knowledge that we have today.The physicians' “remedies” were based on what we would be consider witchcraft or sorcery instead of true medicine. One such remedy was presented by a Sir Digby. It was referred to as weapon salve. Made from moss that grows on the unburied skulls of criminals, weapon salve is placed on the weapon that inflicted a wound rather than the wound on the victim itself, and it is believed that would help the wound heal. As ridiculous as this sounds, it made me realize that even today we still have a tendency of believing what can only be impossible. For example, last year my son was suffering from cutting teeth as an infant, and a coworker brought me a root of some kind to help. I asked her if he is supposed to chew on it or if I put the root in water for him to drink, but she said just attach the root to his shirt using a clothes-pin and it will help. As sceptical as I was at this I tried it. Whether it helped or not I am not sure, but I can only use my imagination to determine what in the world the root would have (to put through the air) to help my son's teeth. I do not think it hurt.The Clockwork Universe has been a huge help to me in realizing many things. Most important is how the beliefs of the members of The Royal Society in Biblical prophecy impacted them. Isaac Newton spent much of his life studying bible prophecy and trying to decipher biblical passages. The bible predicts the return of Christ at the end of the age.Newton and others used a date in which great apostasy entered the church (in 400 a.d.) and added to this the biblical date range of 1260 years to get the year 1660. Although the world didn’t end this year, great fear continued to grip people, especially as the year 1666 approached (note the 666 for the number of the antichrist).The year 1665 came, and with it the great plague claiming tens of thousands of lives. When 1666 came, London burned out of control, forcing tens of thousands into homelessness.I can see why they thought the world was ending, but now I realize that if we look down through history, with any given major world disaster (or even not), there have been calculations and predictions that the end will happen soon and Christ will return.I have also noticed that the view people of that era had of God was extremely different than the view that we have of God today. They saw God, not as a loving and forgiving creator, but as a hard and condemning judge waiting for the opportunity to punish the souls of dead individuals in hell forever.Although it is not specifically stated in this book, this view of God was forced upon the masses by the Catholic church so that they could convince people that the escape from “purgatory” was only by the giving of tithes and following the rules and traditions of the church. The doctrine of purgatory is actually not even found in the bible.It was only after the revolution of Martin Luther that the “common people" even had the opportunity to read the bible for themselves. Before this, the scriptures were only read and interpreted (interpreted here meaning modified) by the leaders of the Catholic church. One Cardinal even stated long ago, “The scriptures are too complex for the common priests to understand, let alone regular men”.I recently read an article by a Catholic author that states the reason that the Catholic church kept the bible out of so many hands was that denominations would appear left and right due to disagreements in doctrine and that bible prophecy would be misinterpreted leading to fear and confusion. Their alternative was religious suppression. All of this has caused me to re-evaluate many of my beliefs. Although I don’t think the Bible should be kept from the common population, I am ashamed to see, and have been part of, the harm that can be caused by the superstitious interpretations of the Bible.At I suspect others feel, I would rather have a view of a God who is loving and forgiving over one who is judgmental and condemning.If God were loving and forgiving, and caring for us all, we would not need to worry about what our future will hold for us. So, if we believe in God, let's believe in one like that.As a practical matter, since most of us are not brilliant scientists, all we need to learn is how to become a better person by ridding ourselves of fears which will cause harm to our loved ones.The book continues to give many examples of not only the beliefs that these great minds had which hindered their progress towards the truth, but also how these beliefs led them to spend much time and resources looking in the wrong direction. For example, rather than trying to learn the exact orbits of the planets Keplar spent much time trying to figure out the “pattern” that God would have used to create these orbits. This caused him to present several models which were incorrect and a book which was incorrect as well, all the while making several great discoveries along the way. One would wonder what even greater discoveries these men would have made if they would have abandoned their pre-conceived beliefs and truly approached their goals with only scientific fact and knowledge. We can learn from this great example in our lives today and always approach situations in which we learn new things by using the scientific method and removing that which is myth, or not proven as true, from our minds.For myself, I will live in the “here and now” and only believe that which is common knowledge and true. I still believe in God, but I will leave it at that. No bible interpretations and no prophecies are needed in our lives. In our age of technology and advancement, we have plenty of high-tech “toys” to enjoy which are not figments of our imaginations, but real and true marvels of the genius of men. We only need wait to see what tomorrow brings, for it will bring great advancements from the great minds of our age.

Even social science majors with the remnants of an inexplicable aversion to math, geometry, and calculus will find Edward Dolnick's book a fascinating account of modern science coming to life in the 1600s and setting the world on an explosive path to modernity. Dolnick brings together the science and the thinkers within the context of the religious and political world of the era. Philosophers and mathematicians had long been encumbered by religious, political and social barriers to free thought. In the unique period of history recounted by Dolnick, the utter brilliance of Newton and others crashed through the corrosive barriers of religious dogma. Religion and royalty became willing partners to their efforts. The start of modern science and remarkable progress in the understanding of universal laws emerged. That is the story that Dolnick recounts in a very readable form and enlightening manner. I wish that Dolnick's book had been available as required reading before I trudged through my obligatory math courses in undergraduate and graduate school. I would certainly have viewed mathematics differently. I now have a greater appreciation for the struggles of Newton and others to capture the knowledge that was essential for the creation of our modern world and our still limited understanding of the universe. If you are a math teacher or you have a budding mathematician in your family, The Clockwork Universe is a must read. Expect to enjoy it and to marvel at the story as it unfolds.

Intriguing and interesting.Engaging from beginning to end.I just wish the narrative was a bit more linear in timeline as it get a bit confusing what event occurred before or after another event.

I bought this as a gift for a science lover who says it is very interesting. He is fairly educated in this area, but says the book adds incredible detail and background into scentific history. I, being a complete science novice, also read a bit of it and found it fantastic. In sum, this book is great for both science enthusiasts and beginners. Highly reccommend!

Podríamos decir que este es la continuación de The Genesis of Science ya que empieza más o menos donde acaba éste.Lo compré pensando que era una historia de la Royal Society inglesa, pero en lugar de ello y pese al título, se centra más bien en el período histórico que va desde Copérnico hasta más o menos la muerte de Newton, y sobre todo ambientado en la cultura anglosajona, como no podría ser de otra forma.En comparación al anterior, éste está mejor escrito y cubre el período de forma más o menos temática y luego cronológica, desde los aspectos sociales de la época, pasando por los médicos, de ciencias naturales y finalmente matemáticos y físicos.Sin aportar nada nuevo sobre el período, sí que puede ser un buen punto de entrada para comprender el nacimiento de la ciencia tal y como la conocemos hoy en día.

Immensely enjoyed the book. Recommend to anyone interested in science or history.

Very interesting and in-depth book on the history of science recommended.