Welcome to the new version of CaltechAUTHORS. Login is currently restricted to library staff. If you notice any issues, please email coda@library.caltech.edu
Published November 27, 2018 | public
Journal Article

The religion of the young Isaac Newton

Abstract

Half a century ago, Frank Manuel published an original and proactive 'portrait' of Isaac Newton. Seeking to better comprehend the elusive mind-set of the great man, Manuel availed himself of psychoanalytics tools as he conjured the possibility of a profound emotional bond between Newton and God. Manuel was unable to determine 'the precise origins' of Newton's anti-Trinitariansim. What he did locate, however, was a 'religious dedication' which, Manuel was convinced, permeated all of Newton's works. Three years later, after consulting the Yahuda manuscripts in Jerusalem, Manual found confirmation of his previous intuitive assessment: Newton conceived himself to be the elected 'priest-scientist' of his generation, from whom 'nothing had been withheld.' Equally to the point, Newton's 'scrutiny of nature' – in Manuel's exegesis – 'was directed almost exclusively not to the increase of sensate pleasure or comfort', but to the knowledge of God. Such a broad-stroked sketch of Newton's religiosity assumed a timeless Newton, consistent and unwavering throughout the eight and a half decades of his life. Consumed from the start by a psychic quest for his father, so the argument persisted, Newton and his research 'were animated by one overwhelming desire, to know God's will through His works in the world.'

Additional Information

© 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Published online: 27 Nov 2018.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 19, 2023