Why Newton was an avid Alchemist...

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Many scientists try to forget about the fact that Newton was immensely interested in Alchemy. You might even wonder how or why such a brilliant scientist (an individual devoted to truth and empirical observation) would be so interested in the prophecies of the Old Testament or in supernatural phenomena. You might also wonder if Newton was aware of the stark contrast between science and mysticism. I have recently come to an epiphany of sorts about this seeming paradox.

Newton was a scientist. He was devoted to truth, reason, and empirical observation. Back in his day, the discipline of Science was in the process of being born (or discovered, whichever you prefer). Back then everything was considered Philosophy.

Science is based on Proof by Contradiction and Proof by Counterexample. In fact, every practical piece of knowledge is only true if it is proven that it is not false. For example,

Assume Q and ¬R and conclude ¬Q.
Q ≠ ¬Q (a contradiction).
Therefore ¬R is not so, which means R is true, and so Q → R

The reason why Newton's theories were so brilliant and accurate as they are was because Newton had to first define what is NOT TRUE, to know the opposite of truth, before he can establish the truth. And Newton studied Alchemy and religious prophecies merely for the purpose of contradiction and counterexample. He had to study what wasn't so before he can form hypotheses and theories about what is so, and use the claims of Alchemy and other superstitions as the basis of his science.

Many people believe Newton was sort of an eccentric crack pot because of his interest in the supernatural. However, his interest in Alchemy and religious prophecies might only exemplify how brilliant of a scientist he really was, and how (as is mostly the case) he was a misunderstood genius.

Like you say in your post, back then sciences were still in their infancy. There was no distinctions at that time between alchemy and chemistry and the two terms has been used interchangeably. In fact, chemistry had born form alchemy.

true. However, remember Newton was also a government official during the Puritan Parlimentarian government, so he couldn't be that far outside the mainstream. I think Optics, Calculus, etc., kept him busy enough. But yeah, alchemy was still in vogue.

Newton wrote four times as much text on the Hidden Meaning of the Bible and other Ancient Scrolls than he did on mathematics and natural science. Newton believed he was REdiscovering what the Ancients knew in olden times. He was a bit of a religious crackpot and a God Phreak. In the third scholium of his Principia Mathematica he writes a praise to the Creator God. This is something you will never see in contemporary scientific works.

ruveyn

They didn't call Newton 'Crazy Ike' for nothing..

Crazy Ike invented theoretical physics as we know it.

ruveyn

Well, yeah. You have to be a little mad to be that different.

Don't you?

Newton was one of the best wardens of the mint that England ever had. He introduced reforms that restored the value of English coinage. For example the "milling" around the edges of the coins so that crooks would be discouraged from trimming metal from the edges while still retaining the buying power of the coin. Newton also had several big time counterfeiters drawn and quartered. In England they regarded counterfeiting as a serious crime.

ruveyn

Ruveyn, you seem to know a lot about Newton. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. So my theory of why Newton was an avid Alchemist may indeed be only partially true. Perhaps Newton wasn't studying occult sciences merely for the purpose of contradiction. Perhaps his enormous insight into physical phenomenon triggered a sort of "divine revelation" of sorts. Newton himself says, with modesty, "If I have seen further than most, it is because I have stood on ye shoulders of Giants," (or something like that). So perhaps because of his intimate encounter with nature, he began to believe that he "saw", or intuited something divine in nature, thus precipitating an obsession with occult phenomena. I believe Newton is a perfect example of man's transition from religious dogmatism to strict positivism and empiricism.

actually someone else made the 'giant' comment first; can't remember the name, but it was in the Renaissance, possibly earlier...

but who cares?... People crib quotes from each other all the time...

Like they say, Newton wasn't so much the first of the scientists, he was the last of the magicians.

He was the first of the great theoretical mathematical physicists. He was a co-inventor of calculus and he made the mold for theoretical physics, a mold which still fits today. Look unto the rock from which you were hewn.

ruveyn

Alchemy was just early chemistry...

That is partly true. Similarly astrology was early astronomy. In the earlier periods the magic and the science were not well separated.

All beginnings are hard.

ruveyn

If I remember correctly, it was Petrarch who said it...sometimes those questions just have to percolate for 24 hours...

of course, I could be wrong...

Minor quibble, but didn't he write about double, not four times the amount?

But definitely, Newton was totally genuine about his religious beliefs. Newton believed that gravity was God manifesting in the real world. His theory needed this to explain why gravity didn't make everything simply collapse into itself, as given infinite time any amount of gravity will exert an infinite force and so the entire universe would just melt into one unless something stopped it. I forget exactly how, but Newton positing that Gravity was God solved this problem. As I understand it, modern day science only solves this worry by positing the universe is not infinite in time, as the big bang was a definite starting point.