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Newton's "Principia" stolen

Posted by chrisd on from the dirty-filthy-tasteful-thiefs dept.

Silverleaf writes "O2 have a story on the theft of Isaac Newton's revolutionary "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" from a Russian museum. For the non-physicists among you, Newton first published his famed three laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation in "Principia" in 1687. I'm surprised this theft hasn't attracted more attention in the mainstream media, since "Principia" is generally considered the most important scientific works in history."

30 of 370 comments (clear)

  1. It's ok... by Bob+Cat+-+NYMPHS · · Score: 5, Funny

    I have that in paperback. They can have mine.

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    1. Re:It's ok... by canadian_right · · Score: 5, Informative

      He didn't listen to Leibnitz beause he was an egostical maniac, as well as a genuis. Newton independantly invented much of calculus at the same time as Liebnitz, but he did his darnedest to get all the credit. Calculus was a shiny new thing, so it made sense to explain it in his book.

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    2. Re:It's ok... by canadian_right · · Score: 5, Informative

      More info on the Newton / Leibniz battle:
      Newton vs Leibniz

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    3. Re:It's ok... by rgmoore · · Score: 4, Informative

      There's an obvious reason why he did this: none of his readers could be expected to know calculus. It had, after all, just been invented, or was still in the process of being invented. If he wanted people to understand the concepts, he either had to teach them the math or figure out a way of presenting it convincingly without the reader needing to know calculus. Neither one is an easy prospect. I haven't read Principia myself, but I remember a physics prof mentioning that in some cases he deliberately avoided using calculus because he thought that his demonstrations would be more likely to convince people if they didn't use all that new fangled math, and it wound up being vastly more complicated as a result.

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    4. Re:It's ok... by Quirk · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Leibnitz was caricatured as Dr. Pangloss by Voltaire. Dr. Pangloss believed this was the best of all possible worlds and everything happened for the best. Leibnitz only published his lesser works because he sought the approbation of princes and the court. It wasn't till B. Russell unearthed some of Leibnitz's letters and more recondite works that the world came to be better equated with the logical genius of the man. My favorite idea from Leibnitz is the Characteristica Universalis wherein he proposed a sort of calculus cum esperanto which he thought would allow all issues to be made amenable to purely logical resolution. He suggested metaphysical issues could be resolved by persons taking out their pencils (or quills) and sitting down like accountants. "Gentlemen let us calculate" was his battle cry. You can begin to see why Russell, who along with Whitehead authored Principia Mathematica in an effort to base logic in arithmetic, would think Leibnitz to be the supreme logical mind of all time.

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    5. Re:It's ok... by Syre · · Score: 4, Informative

      You can read it here.

    6. Re:It's ok... by Ctrl-Z · · Score: 5, Funny

      ...Barnes and Nobel...

      Ahem. I assume that is the scientific division of Barnes and Noble? :-)

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  2. Ebay by charlie763 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Check on ebay, I'm sure it'll be on there soon...

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  3. Something Tells Me... by Bobulusman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That that thief will have a hard time finding a buyer. After all, it's hard explain where you got a one of kind book like this.

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    1. Re:Something Tells Me... by Bitsy+Boffin · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'd imagine something so specific as that would only be stolen to order. Probably a buyer already lined up or employed the bad guys to steal it for them.

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    2. Re:Something Tells Me... by rodgerd · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Some shitbag will be ahppy to lock it away in a safe where they can gloat over it, happy in the knowlege they now have it at the expense of everyone else in the world.

      (Not unlike a description of the general process of privatizing the public sphere, really...)

  4. Re:FP -- where's the link? by dustym · · Score: 5, Funny

    First the Principia... NOW THE WEBPAGE.

    Have these men no shame?

  5. For crying out loud by whereiswaldo · · Score: 5, Funny


    Didn't someone at least make a photocopy of it?!

  6. Holy shit! by EggplantMan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Where the hell am I supposed to find obscure geometrical proofs of things otherwised proved by calculus now!?

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  7. *gasp* by Windcatcher · · Score: 4, Funny

    *urp*

    *cough*

    *choke*

    They stole... Principia ?!

    (screams to the next room) BRING ME MY GUN!

  8. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Informative

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  9. Library link by prostoalex · · Score: 5, Informative

    Perhaps there should be link to the library as well. Their online exhibitions section has some interesting links for a literature buff.

  10. This is dangerous. by CySurflex · · Score: 5, Funny

    Newtons essay is actually written on special material that in fact houses the CORE FUNDAMENTIAL ELEMENTS tha stabalize the laws of physics in our universe. If the theif has it in his mind to incenerate said document, be prepared for chaos. Apples not falling from trees, velocity and acceleration NOT functioning in automobiles (even Italian sportscars), Microsoft going open source, alphas of Doom III leaking. You get my drift. Just be careful.

  11. This is no time for jokes! by Snork+Asaurus · · Score: 5, Funny

    You don't seem to realize the gravity of the situation.

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    1. Re:This is no time for jokes! by Myriad · · Score: 5, Funny
      You don't seem to realize the gravity of the situation.

      Oh do give it a rest. You know what will happen once you get a post in motion around here.

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  12. bah by grub · · Score: 5, Funny


    Newton died years ago. Why not put something in the museum that's a bit more contemporary?
    Maybe some Harlequin Romances or Stephen King?

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    1. Re:bah by Guppy06 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Because, unlike Harlequin books or King's works, Newton's Principa finally came out of copyright last month or so.

  13. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  14. How, how, how? by gamgee5273 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    How the hell do you sell that on the black market? Is there some reclusive physicist out there collecting rare works (Einstein's drink napkin from Le Lapin Agile!) that will pay top dollar for this? If so, how does he/she show it off to their friends and family (assuming that they aren't that reclusive)? How do you explain that you just happen to have this sitting around in the family room?

  15. probably gone forever by ez76 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I fear the crime will stay unsolved unless it is acted upon by an outside force.

  16. "theft" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Once and for all, taking a physical item from its owner is not "theft". Yes this is the common usage these days, but saying something over and over doesn't make it true.

    If you want to be accurate, use the word "take". As in, someone "took" the Principia Mathematica.

    If you want to give it a positive connotation, use the term "shared" or "loan". As in, I just "shared" my copy of the Principia with a stranger, or I just involuntarily "loaned" my copy to a man in a ski mask with a gun.

    Let the RIAA and other thugs use their propaganda words. I'll stick with morally neutral terminology.

    Remember, matter just wants to be free. This doesn't mean zero cost, but it means once you pick up a physical object, you can put it in your pocket and head for the hills, and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

    Besides, I believe the Supreme Court has already ruled that people have the right to "space-shift" other people's possessions.

  17. Don't Panic by Kaboom13 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is a rare first edition, not a hand written manuscript. Although these selfish thieves have deprived Russian students of a rare and valuable text, it is not unique. A quick google search revealed that among other universities, Georgia Tech owns not only a first edition identical to the one being stolen (although the russian copy may have been in better condition, the article doesn't say) they also have a rare second and a rare third edition(http://gtalumni.org/StayInformed/magazine/ sum99/newton.html). Some other results also credited the University of Cambridge for having the most complete collection of Newton's papers. Rare first editions are mainly for bragging rights anyway. I don't see why this should be an international incident as the story suggests. Very few people outside of Russia would have ever seen it anyway, as there are other copies available in mroe convenient places anyway.

  18. Investigate Leibniz by Charles+Dodgeson · · Score: 5, Funny

    Surely Leibniz should be considered an initial suspect.

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  19. I'm not surprised by frovingslosh · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I'm surprised this theft hasn't attracted more attention in the mainstream media, since "Principia" is generally considered the most important scientific works in history."

    I think it's particularly telling but not at all suprising that this hasn't gotten the attention that a theft of other items such as art would get. The media and liberal arts people who would make a fuss don't understand or care about science, so they would give a lot more attention to the scribblings of a second rate artist than to a scientific work. Scientists value the information, not the paper, and know that can't be taken, and the media gives them little attention anyway unless a giant rock is heading towards Earth. It's a shame to have the artifact vanish, but I'm not at all surprised that more attention is given when a thief breaks in and steals from Madonna.

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  20. Leibniz's good life and the best worlds by Pyrosophy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is actually a bit misleading. Leibniz did not die without honor... he was a nobleman's nobleman who worked for kings and princes and the like.

    He didn't get credit for the Calculus as readily, but it's not like he was Baruch Spinoza or William Blake (or David Hume for that matter). The man was a philosopher to royalty. The calculus was only one of his great philosophical achievements and that was noted in his time.

    Incidentally, Leibniz's argument which Voltaire ridicules is kinda neat. God is all knowing, all powerful, and all loving. Because he is all knowing, he knows all the possible worlds he could have made. Because he's all poweful, he could make any worlds he knows. And because he's all-loving, he would only make the best of all the possible worlds for us of those that he knows (all of them) and can make (all of them).

    So this is the best of all possible worlds.