The Clockwork Universe
by Edward Dolnick
This book explores the personalities of a group of men who represent the birth of modern thought. There were great minds before them and there have been many since but it seems unlikely that any other group has had such an impact on Western thought and culture. These are the men who founded the Royal Society and helped set us on the path to understanding. The concepts covered in this book are fascinating and I now look at the Principia in a much different light. The reasoning for why Newton, who invented calculus prior to writing the Principia, chose not to use it in favor of the more cumbersome geometry was fascinating.
It is really the interaction between the individuals that drives the book more than the specific ideas. The theories set the stage because they were the triggers for the enmity but the egos are the true masters of these men. The back and forth with Hooke and Newton was interesting. The fact that Isaac Newton’s master piece, The Principia Mathmatica, would have likely sat in a desk drawer and never been published without the constant coaxing and intervention of Hailey (of comet fame) is fascinating. The clash between Newton and Leibniz, that did not even end with the death of the later, was engrossing. In fact, it made me look at both men in a very different light. I discovered that I did not have as much respect for Gottfried Liebniz as perhaps I should. I was aware that Newton was religious and that motivated him to perform his inquires but it was interesting how the author kept coming back to the point that Newton believed he was “chosen” to be the one to read God’s mind.
The emphasis on the fact that these men lived at the cusp where society began moving away from the superstitious medieval mindset and into the modern paradigm was also something I enjoyed. It is interesting that many members of the Royal society began the process internal with their own world view. Newton, a giant among them, never really seemed to abandon the old way even though he was instrumental in creating the new one. It was also illuminating to see the author reach back to the predecessors to the Royal society to talk about Kepler, Brahe and Galileo. The world they worked in was as markedly different from Newton’s time as Newton’s is from ours. The parallels between Descartes reasoning and the work done later by Newton and Liebniz was also interesting and made me want to review some of the things I’ve read in the past about Descarte.
The thing that most makes me want to recommend this book is not so much what is in it as it is how much more it made me want to know. This book covers a huge sweep of territory and does it in an interesting way. It humanizes some brilliant men and pulls them out of the textbooks and into the spot light. It also makes me want to know more about them as individuals. Expect more reviews of biographies to follow from this reading.
Questions to ponder:
1. The author talks about Isaac Newton's strong faith and religious conviction but skirts the fact that he was something of a mystic. Does it change anything about Newton to know that he dedicated decades of his life to trying to crack the "hidden code" in the Bible? Would it matter if you knew he absolutely believed he had calculated the date of Armageddon several times (and was wrong all of them)?
2. Very little is said about the family and friends of most of the men spoken of in this book (aside from Newton) but there is a hint that most of them were largely alone. Is that a necessary requirement for achievement on the scale of these men?
3. Genuis is a terryfing gift. The majority of the people in this book who were mention as extraordinary talents were also pretty awful people. Is that something inherent to genius? Must you be incapable of relating to most of society or is it that they simply don't feel the need to bother?
Questions to ponder:
1. The author talks about Isaac Newton's strong faith and religious conviction but skirts the fact that he was something of a mystic. Does it change anything about Newton to know that he dedicated decades of his life to trying to crack the "hidden code" in the Bible? Would it matter if you knew he absolutely believed he had calculated the date of Armageddon several times (and was wrong all of them)?
2. Very little is said about the family and friends of most of the men spoken of in this book (aside from Newton) but there is a hint that most of them were largely alone. Is that a necessary requirement for achievement on the scale of these men?
3. Genuis is a terryfing gift. The majority of the people in this book who were mention as extraordinary talents were also pretty awful people. Is that something inherent to genius? Must you be incapable of relating to most of society or is it that they simply don't feel the need to bother?
