[ 3 / biz / cgl / ck / diy / fa / ic / jp / lit / sci / vr / vt ] [ index / top / reports ] [ become a patron ] [ status ]
2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/sci/ - Science & Math

View post   
File: 9 KB, 340x307, 512315124.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4729515 No.4729515 [Reply] [Original]

Sup /sci/

I was browsing the internet earlier and I wiki'd Isaac Newton out of boredom because I only heard about him by name (other than the apple falling on his head thing) and something irked me a little.

>Newton, although an unorthodox Christian, was deeply religious, and wrote more on Biblical hermeneutics and occult studies than on science and mathematics.

Then I went on to google this and apparently he was interested in alchemy, the so called Philosophers stone, solomons temple, biblical codes and propechys, etc.

You mean to tell me that his works of science and mathematics which developed much if not all of the advanced technologies of today was only his leisure activity?

Why did Newton, perhaps the smartest man ever to live, was so devout in all these occultish philosophy which would be deemed bullshit today by both the bright and the not so bright people.

>> No.4729519

>You mean to tell me that his works of science and mathematics which developed much if not all of the advanced technologies of today was only his leisure activity?

Yes, this is rather well known to anyone who has read about him. Funny isn't it? :)

>Why did Newton, perhaps the smartest man ever to live, was so devout in all these occultish philosophy which would be deemed bullshit today by both the bright and the not so bright people.

He was also an extreme loner. Loners tend to do such things. That's one of the good things of working with others. One learns about things that they consider not worth thinking about. That's also the bad thing about working with others.

>> No.4729523

>>4729515

Because fuck you that's why.

>> No.4729526

The dude huffed Mercury fumes to see what would happen at a fairly young age.

Mild mercury poisoning is often shown with eccentricity and insanity.

Also alchemy was considered a legit thing at the time, they thought it was a real deal, and not being a Christian would get you burned at the stake.

>> No.4729531

>>4729515 Why did Newton, perhaps the smartest man ever to live, was so devout in all these occultish philosophy which would be deemed bullshit today by both the bright and the not so bright people.

What the fuck would you know? Have you ever thought deep and hard about the origins and nature of reality?

No because hurr durr athiesitms christians'r'tards spazshitfuck.

>> No.4729532

Newton was a mad genius, he stuck needles into his eyes to test his optics theory.

>> No.4729534

Newton did a lot of stupid shit. He invented calculus to help him with his math homework and then didn't tell anyone about it for 30 years. Just because you're a smart guy doesn't mean you can't fall for the bullshit of your day. Back then, Christianity was much more believable.

>> No.4729553

>>4729534

It's not falling for anything. Studying and questioning something is NOT the same as being a fat ameritard orthodox christian.

A question as big as "What is the nature of our existence?" attracts intelligent folk.

>mfw Pascal, Fermat, Leibniz and Einstein all spent large chunks of their time pondering a God.

>> No.4729558

>>4729553
I was referring more to the alchemy. But also, there's a difference between questioning the nature of our existence and being a devout orthodox Christian. You can search for god without being religious.

>> No.4729559

>>4729532
>implying a blunt polished stick is a needle


Newton had a sense of humour, especially when he tried to wipe Hooke from the history books.

>totally not an ass pie

>> No.4729624

>>4729558
U sure?

>> No.4729663

Newton was also a mad cunt who ran the Royal Mint and hanged coin forgers. Fact. Also the second ever guy to receive a Knighthood for services to science. He's well up there in the badass scientist ranks.

>> No.4729671

so wait.. this guy had hobbies? whoa.. you mean to tell me he did things he found pleasurable to pass the time back in XVII other than sit on a chair 24/7 for his entire life writing down math? no way it is not possible

>> No.4729698

>>4729515
He was merely exploring what he found interesting, as any man of intelligence, scientist or otherwise should do. You must remember he lived in a very different time to us, and had less reason to dispel the occult. If I didn't know about thermodynamics I'd be trying to be a wizard too.

>> No.4729731

Euler believed in a very literal interpretation of the bible.

Smart people sometimes believe crazy, irrational things.

>> No.4729773

>Why did Newton, perhaps the smartest man ever to live, was so devout in all these occultish philosophy which would be deemed bullshit today by both the bright and the not so bright people.

Not really. Belief in the occult is very common among the less educated. Sometimes it goes hand in hand with religious belief. Well, the explanation is long and has to do with how human brains evolved to support higher cognitive abilities at the cost of having a mind which needs to alleviate the fear of death with delusional beliefs.

Those who are very lucid about their life are also more likely to be depressed or nihilistic about it. Some form of spiritual/religious/occult beliefs counter this anxiety.

>> No.4729929

Alchemy is proto-chemistry. The philosopher's stone nonsense is just the sensationalist portrayal of it. Alchemists did more than just look for ways to transmute metals. That was only a theory.

>> No.4729951

>>4729515
>Why did Newton, perhaps the smartest man ever to live, was so devout in all these occultish philosophy which would be deemed bullshit today by both the bright and the not so bright people.

Because, if pop culture is any sort of indication (it is) fantasy and fantastic shit in general is far more interesting than anything maths can make.

I mean, I appreciate math as much as the next guy here, but c'mon, which do you honestly find more fun? LotR/SW/HTTYD/Conan or "The adventures of Einstein at his writing table".

Shit might not be scientific, but when you don't have TV or the internet well, it's one hell of a fun thing to imagine.

>> No.4729995

>>4729951 LotR/SW/HTTYD/Conan or "The adventures of Einstein at his writing table".

You're serious? You want Conan, lotr and idk over
>"The adventures of Einstein at his writing table"

You seriously suck.

>> No.4730001

>>4729995
Well, maybe it's the wrong place for that.

But the point still stands, most people would probably watch legolas killing some dragon thing than watch Einstein do physics.

>> No.4730018

>>4730001 most people

Most people suck

>> No.4730031

>>4730018
you suck

>> No.4730065
File: 50 KB, 674x770, 4 1276302975926.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4730065

In this thread:
>I'm atheist, therefor I'm smart
>A smart man that's not atheist? What goes on here
>Obviously to be smart, you need to be a great atheist like me
>Therefor Newton's crazy

>>Hur durr hurr duur duur hurrr derp!

>> No.4730086
File: 12 KB, 245x318, 1332977721957.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4730086

>>4730065

Indeed Newton was smart, but most likely he was probably pretty lax with his beliefs in God. Articles like to say he was a devout Christain but this isn't true, and most of it was likely a mask that any intelligent person had to wear to remain respectful, if not alive, during those times.

If Newton lived today odds are that he wouldn't be a believer. He was a victim of his time and culture, as we all are. It was heresy, and very dangerous during newtons time to not believe in the good lord, so implying that he was a religious man by choice is far from the truth. It was the norm to believe in God, and it was also safer that way.

>Mfw christains spit out that some the most brilliant scientific minds were Christains. And plithly leave out that heresy was easily punisheable by death during these times, if not a loss of all social standing/respect.

>> No.4730090

>>4730086
>most likely was a mask
>he herped and derped and wrote pages upon pages about the bible

Yeah, totally a mask.

>> No.4730104

>>4730065
Low intelligence detected.
Butthurt Christian.
All the best people are Atheists, stop crying and deal with it.

>> No.4730110

>>4730090

You obviously haven't read any of newtons writings "About the Bible" or even read about his interest in the Bible.

Like what was stated before he was heavily into occult, and he believed he could extract "scientific knowledge," or hidden occult knowledge from the Bible. This was anything but normal behavior of a good devout Christain. He was interested in sacred geometries of Solomon's temple and ancient chronologies of ancient kingdoms. He used the Bible as a source for alot of his research. He also believed there was secret occult knowledge hidden in alot of the books of the Bible. Whether he actually believed the traditional Bible stories or in the Christain God is up for debate. Because, as I said, discerning what was his safety mask and his actually beliefs about the subject Is a complicated measure 300 something years later.

>> No.4730116

>>4730090
Then you agree -- a very convincing farce, yes?

>> No.4730299

>>4730104
Yeah, that Pol Pot was such a great guy, wasn't he?

>> No.4730314

>>4730299
0/10

>> No.4730368

It was the olden days. And he was virgin status so what do you expect?

>> No.4731790

>>4729773
I love how you imply these beliefs are somehow wrong.
typical nihilist he thinks he's at top but in reality he is at the bottom.

>> No.4731805

>>4731790
>typical nihilist he believes he's at top but in reality he is at the bottom.
>typical nihilist he believes he's at top
nihilist he believes he's
>nihilist who believes
>believes
>believes
>believes
>nihilist who believes
lel

>> No.4731813
File: 28 KB, 300x400, 1276258920644.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4731813

>>4729515
>Newton
>Smart

Over rated pop-sci icon that kids worship because they lack their own brains.

>> No.4731814

>>4729559
> wipe Hooke from the history books.

What?

>> No.4731816

>>4729671
You got it the wrong way around.

Newton invented modern Calculus as a distraction. It was the math and science that was his hobby.

>> No.4731818

>>4730086
Stop saying this shit.

It's wrong. Newton WAS a mega Christian.

He wrote so much on the subject, diverted his attentions from his practical studies to study religious writings, and so forth.

Was he the product of his time? Yes, sure. But he wasn't PRETENDING. He was balls deep in religion.

>> No.4731820

>>4730065
this, seriously, some of you guys are fucking pathetic

>> No.4731825

>>4731820
You realise that OP is the only one saying that?

>> No.4731827

How did he Invent Calculus to help him with his math homework?

How would it even help with his math homework? Wouldn't it make things more complicationd

>> No.4731829

>>4731827
I don't know the full story, but it is vaguely like this:

>Newton invents calculus* for some reason
>Uses it for his own purposes, moves on
>Years later, people want help from Newton with math shit
>He helps them
>Eventually someone asks "how the fuck do you know all this shit" and Newton is all like "Calculus motherfucker", and they're all "show me" and Newton is all "nah, I lost it ages ago bro"
>He precedes to write the Principia as a result of wanting to help this guy out with his calculations

>> No.4732317

>>4731829
5 stars post.

Accurate, entertaining, funny, simple, short.