The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World in Science and Inquiry

Aug 18, 2012 Charlene rated it it was amazing

Shelves: philosophy, mindgasms, general-science, physics, favorites

Excellent history of math and science. Great tale of the egos of the greats.

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May 10, 2011 loafingcactus rated it really liked it

Shelves: library-audible, philosophyofscience, sampled-kindle-2011, read-2012

This book was likely far more enjoyable as an audible book, driving down the road thinking "now that is interesting!", than it would have been to slog through as a read. Not because it is badly written, but just because it is packed with interesting bits that don't necessarily make for page turning narrative.

The book explains that we reinterpret those at the turning point of the modern world to our modern sensibilities, conveniently ignoring how these individuals were also intellectually tied to ...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Mag rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, history, audible, history-of-science

A well-written book about the most rational of irrational times, since it would be a mistake to think that what we call the modern science was born in a very rational way. The best thinkers of the time, Newton included, were on a quest to read the God’s mind, as much in astronomy, chemistry and physics as in astrology, alchemy and theology. All sorts of ideas were up for grabs and it seems a miracle that modern science was born out of that chaos. Moreover, the heavens seemed to baffle all learne A well-written book about the most rational of irrational times, since it would be a mistake to think that what we call the modern science was born in a very rational way. The best thinkers of the time, Newton included, were on a quest to read the God’s mind, as much in astronomy, chemistry and physics as in astrology, alchemy and theology. All sorts of ideas were up for grabs and it seems a miracle that modern science was born out of that chaos. Moreover, the heavens seemed to baffle all learned men of the times. It seemed obvious that anything created by God had to be perfect, so the main preoccupation of the times was that it didn’t seem so, and if it wasn’t, how did it all work and made sense.

Newton provided an answer to this quest with a plethora of epic discoveries and a set of laws and forces that came to be known as the ‘clockwork universe’. It proposed that the same set of basic rules and forces made both the heavens and the earth go round. The idea was very novel and unusually daring for the times as it proposed that the heavens were really no different from the Earth, yet it fit well with the belief of the perfection of God’s design.
‘Throughout his life Newton believed that God operated in the simplest, neatest, most efficient way imaginable. That principle served as his starting point whether he was studying the Bible or the natural world- ‘It is ye perfection of God’s works that they are all done with ye greatest simplicity.” The universe had no superfluous parts or forces for exactly the reason that a clock had no superfluous wheels or springs.”

Newton made a few monumental discoveries on the way to this thesis, like calculus and gravity, and a big part of the book is devoted to them. Quite a bit of space is dedicated to Leibnitz-Newton calculus feud and there are well-drawn portrayals of bigger and lesser scientists of the Royal Society.

Apparently, each age has its challenges. In the 17th century people found out that the universe was far from perfect, yet governed by a few predicable laws; in the 20th and into the 21st reality suddenly seems to have become much more complicated, much less solid and less predictable. Arguably, just like the workings of the Universe were the main mystery and preoccupation of the times of Newton, it’s the nature of our life and consciousness that seems to cause as much controversy nowadays. As religion and belief in God were a given in the Newton’s times, it is far from universal in our times.

I really enjoyed the book, and both read and listened to it. If you choose to listen to it, it’s a great audio production. Nevertheless, having the book is helpful, even if to look at the graphs together with the text, especially if you’re not a math or physics buff. The infinity and calculus ideas are much more understandable together with the graphs and pictures in the book, even though the audio offers a separate pdf file with those as well.

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Dec 14, 2011 Leilani rated it liked it

Shelves: history, science

Starts out with some lively prose detailing how different life was in the 1600s. The writing stays accessible throughout, but the focus drifts, and overall this feels like a quick surface skim of the subject when I was expecting something with more substance.

(The calculus chapters were an admirable effort to explain the basics to laypeople, but my mind wandered off out of boredom anyway.)

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