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Sir Isaac Newton: The world Will End In 2060
Rikardon writes "A professor at King's College in Halifax has discovered, among the papers of Sir Isaac Newton, a prediction by this 'most influential scientist who ever lived' that the world would end in 2060. Those narrow-minded souls who still believe that devout religious faith is incompatible with fervent scientific inquiry are probably unaware that Newton 'was a theologian who wrote well over a million words on Biblical subjects,' and who devoted 'something like 55 to 60 years' studying the Book of Revelation."
Well, nose-thumbing on the submitters part aside, what does this prove? Isaac Newton was Christian? OK, but this isn't news. Way back in grade school and high school science classes we learned about this. We also learned that the Vatican wasn't entirely impressed with Newton's investigations which doesn't really mean much either. Newton was a believer in the bible, apparently a very devout one who believed that the bible was true and correct. The areas of his investigations didn't reveal anything that contradicted the bible, at least in his opinion. If in 2060 passes by uneventfully (or even eventfully but still passes by) will that mean that the bible has been disproven? No. It won't be proven either.
The problem that most people have with the combination of religion and science is that religion often tries to impose what appears in the bible over what we have learned through experience and conjecture. Science as it is supposed to be practiced is a constantly self-correcting body of knowledge. This body of knowledge is used to produce a working model of the universe. In Newton's time the force = mass / acceleration was accurate enough to describe most things that they investigated. Time passed and there were problems with this. To a first approximation in most peoples lives this is still accurate, but if you're a cosmologist you'll want a more accurate model which includes Einstein's theories as an example. If you're looking at very small things rather than very large you'll be interested in quantum theory and so on.
Science evolves (a word that puts a furrow in the brow of some religious people) based on a refinement of information and the advancement of knowledge. If based on your religious conviction you insist that the speed of light in a vacuum isn't 3*10^8 m/s or that things do in fact go faster than it or that the sun is the center of the universe then science has a problem with that. It's easily reconcilable if you can find actual evidence to support your theory, scripture doesn't count.
Chris Kuivenhoven is a thief, beware
Those narrow-minded souls who still believe that devout religious faith is incompatible with fervent scientific inquiry are probably unaware that Newton ...
I'm pretty shocked that the editors let this tirade go through. Can't we have people simply submit storied without adding their two cents in anymore? Submitters, please save your editorial comments for the "Comments" section.
Regarding those narrow-minded simpletons such as myself, there are plenty of intellectuals throughout history who have held dubious beliefs that we have chosen to ignore. Plato was a big supporter of slavery. Tesla believed he had been contacted by aliens. Linus Pauling claimed Vitamin C possessed all kinds of miraculous abilities. So what? Is the submitter saying that if I admire these men for their scientific achievements, that I am somehow required to accept all their beliefs?
I may admire Plato's philosophical ability without accepting his love of slavery. Similarly, I can respect Newton's contributions to mathematics and physics without deciding that devout religous faith and skeptical scientific inquiry are natural compliments to one another.
GMD
watch this
ended well before his 30th birthday. After that he made a complete fool of himself with his attempts to apply his rapidly dimishing mental abilities to "decoding" the Bible. I was a physics student back in the days when the History of Science was still considered a necessary part of training as a scientist. As I recall from Newton's biographys, he made a number of attempts to date Biblical events, including creation, and missed every one by at least an order of magnitude. No one who has any knowledge of Newton's life and work is likely to consider this "prediction" as anything more than it was: the rantings of a demented mind.
Those narrow-minded souls who still believe that devout religious faith is incompatible with fervent scientific inquiry
Good point. Whenever religion pops up here, anyone supporting it (or any "non-geek" world view) is often flamed and rapidly roasted.
I have friends who are devout athiests as well as friends who are strict fundamentalist Christians -- as well as friends who are Wiccan, Quaker, Buddist, and memembers of other religions, including "new-agers." I've seen people with faith do remarkable things (Yes -- I've seen faith healing). I've learned that, even though I've studied many religions, I don't know squat about religion.
I've seen many people here continually point out that any form of religious or spiritual belief is unproven, and therefore, untrustworthy and false.
I have yet, however, to see anyone who has said such a thing show that s/he knows the first thing about the religion they are claiming is false -- other than what outsiders say of various religions.
Newton was very interested in religious and spiritual matters -- and even studied astrology. (There is a story that Halley asked him, "Why do you believe in astrology?" To which Newton replied, "Because I have studied it. You have not." -- I've seen writings that document this as true and others that claim it is false, but it's an interesting point.)
I'll probably get flamed for this (by people that think they know everything but have never studied any of the world's religions), since I'm sticking up for Newton and others believing in religious beliefs that can't be proven scientifically, but I think it's a point worth making.
In my experience, I withhold judgement. By not judging my friends of many different religious, I've been able to have some wonderful opportunities to learn and see things I would have never expected to see.
Funny, but this post almost proves my point -- that any view involving religion is flamed. I'm not saying this post is a flame, but it is a great example of someone who believes strongly in science and is so sure s/he is right that s/he won't even pay attention to what is being said about other points of view.
Basically, it's an example of someone so sure science is the ONLY way, they refuse to even consider other options. It shows that science can be as blind a religion as extreme fundamentalism.
It's the "I'm right and I am so sure I'm right, I won't even consider anything else and I know it's got to be wrong if it's not my point of view," thing -- the same for a believer in science as for a believer in the Bible. Both are equally ignorant of the other points of view and both are equally stubborn in refusing to even look into other ways.
As I said, I keep an open mind. It is not uncommon for me to be invited to a range of religious ceremonies. I think it's clear I've been open minded and seen things others here haven't.
For ages we prayed anw we were the victims of famine and disease.
You're right. Now we don't have to worry about hunger -- nobody starves any more. Science has solved that problem. And certainly, disease is no longer a problem. (I'm glad you didn't hear the show on AIDS I heard yesterday -- about how over 30% of the population in some areas of Africa is HIV positive -- it might lead you to doubt that we are no longer victims of disease.)
I have been to places like St. Anne's Cathedral in Quebec, or Chimayo, in New Mexico (or Lourdes in France). I've seen people I've known, with "incurable" conditions be healed by their faith.
I never said science was wrong. I never said don't believe in science. All I pointed out was that I've seen a WIDE variety, from no faith at all, to faith in science, to faith in spiritual beliefs. I've seen many different things work for many people.
While I don't want to talk about my beliefs here, I do want to point out it is unscientific to belittle things one has not investigated or studied. It is accepting something as untrue without investigating it.
Those who base their faith on religious scripture and belittle science usually have no understanding at all of science. And those who base their faith on science and belittle faith usually have no understanding, at all, of faith. As is shown by your post.
If science works for you, great, but that doesn't mean you know enough about faith based points of view to drag them down or belittle them.
(Side note: From your comments like "Keep praying," and "go to your doctor," it seems clear you put me in the "faith healing" camp. Notice, if you read my post, I never once put myself in any group. As I said, I withhold judgement. Again, this is an example of someone so strong in their beliefs they don't want to read anything that could possibly disagree with them carefully.)