In the lecture, "The Scientific Revolution, 1642-1730", the author, Steven Kreis, discusses how the scientific discoveries that happended during this time were not overnight success stories as some of the written history seems to indicate. It's true that sometimes we don't know the story behind the story. We see the results, think it is a great thing and assume that everyone thought so as well. We find that Isaac Newton, who "described the laws which explained gravity...also invented the calculus to explain the laws of gravity", he was not always listened to, respected or well liked at all. This didn't stop him from making the greatest discovery of the 17th century. Along with his contribution to science and history, he managed to give a great quote, that to his credit, gives respect to the thinkers of the past. "If I have seen further it is because I have stood on ye shoulders of giants."
---Isaac Newton to Robert Hooke (1676)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
It does amaze me as to how much was changed during this time period though. To think about our world today and what it would be like without these men and women who were searching for the truth hadn't is fascinating. We do think about it as an overnight process looking back on it, but we always need to remember that some of these people's lives were ruined for their ideas and forward thinking.
Post a Comment