• #39 Newton and the Occult - Ep 2 Was Newton the last of the Magicians?

  • Apr 23 2024
  • Length: 45 mins
  • Podcast
#39 Newton and the Occult - Ep 2 Was Newton the last of the Magicians? cover art

#39 Newton and the Occult - Ep 2 Was Newton the last of the Magicians?

Listen for free

View show details

  • Summary

  • Having considered the arguments in favour of defining Sir Isaac Newton as an early 'scientist', we now consider the other side of the coin.

    Newton’s best-known breakthrough – the identification of gravity – belonged not to the latest tradition of European Cartesian rationalism, but to a very English strand of occult philosophy. In fact it was only because Newton worked in this tradition that he was able to think of gravity as an unseen and mysterious force. Europeans like Leibnitz wrote the idea off as magic.

    More striking, like other English philosophers, Newton believed that all this had been known to ancient thinkers going back to Noah, and spent much of his life trying to decode the myths and symbols they left behind. He was, he believed, the only man in his generation privileged to understand them. The last of magicians? Maybe.



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show more Show less
Show more Show less

What listeners say about #39 Newton and the Occult - Ep 2 Was Newton the last of the Magicians?

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.ca reviews

Amazon Reviews
No reviews are available