![]() Because of the great emotional intensity of their relationship, and the fact that neither man ever married, some of Newton’s biographers suspect their relationship was homosexual in nature, but there is no proof. One was his niece, Catherine Barton, who became her uncle’s housekeeper in London, and the other was a Swiss mathematician – Fatio de Duillier, who was only 25 years old when he met Newton. There were two people in Newton’s life whom he loved. Newton sought quarrels with friends and foes alike. He would refuse to speak to those who dared to disagree with him. His relationships with other scientists were tyrannical. When he had to interact with people, he contributed little to conversations. ![]() And if it wasn’t for his astronomer-friend, Edmund Halley’s encouragement, he probably wouldn’t have published his most important work, the Principia. He kept his calculus secret until Leibniz made a claim of discovering it first. As a result, he would withdraw from the scientific community and refuse to continue his research.ĭespite his success and recognition, Newton was afraid to expose his work to the criticism of fellow scientists. Such events were usually followed by a collapse into depression, and he would become enraged by any criticism of his work. His notebooks on his college years document anxiety, sadness, fear, a low opinion of himself, and suicidal thoughts.Īfter his appointment as Fellow of the University in Cambridge, Newton continued to have manic episodes, often forgetting to eat. His violent temper made him unpopular and his peers and the servants rejoiced when Newton left home for Cambridge.Īt Cambridge, Newton made only one friend among his fellow students. His list recorded ‘striking many’, ‘punching my sister’, ‘peevishness with my mother’. Newton also had intense moments of remorse, when he made long lists of his ‘sins’ or wrongdoings. He later recalled ‘threatening my father and mother to burn them and the house over them.’ He experienced attacks of rage, which he directed toward his friends and family. He was high strung, egotistical, and dominant. He spent most of his time alone, building miniature mills, machines, carts, and other inventions. Newton exhibited signs of bipolar disorder early in life he was a solitary child who didn’t engage in games with other children. This may be partly true, but no matter how many creative inspirations one gets from the manic state and how extraordinary the achievements are as a result of it, one thing is clear to all who suffer from it – this is an illness that can destroy lives and cause tremendous pain for all connected to the sufferer. It was argued that depression made one a perfectionist and mania led to intense periods of productivity, faith in ones own talent, and the need to prove oneself right. ![]() Romantic writers often called manic depression ‘a disease of men of genius’, while others considered it an essential element for creativity. Newton’s biography is a catalog of the symptoms of bipolar (or manic depressive) disorder, an illness he suffered from most of his life. ![]() However, there is a part of Newton’s life that is less talked about, the part that concerns his character and its connection to his discoveries. In large part because of Newton, the empirical approach, based on the rule that you must try out ideas by testing them, became the norm. Newton’s laws enabled measurements of actual distances, speeds, and weights to be calculated, laying the foundation of modern inventions from the steam engine to the space rocket. Much of what we know about Newton is based on his extraordinary contributions to science such as the three major laws of motion (the principles of inertia, force, action and reaction), the law of gravitation, and his discoveries in optics, astronomy, and mathematics. He is sitting naked on a rock at the bottom of the ocean leaning over a scroll, and measuring the symbol of the Trinity.īlake’s depiction of Newton’s persona is symbolic, but it is closer to the real Newton than any other artistic rendition. In his painting ‘Newton’, the British poet and painter, William Blake, represents Newton as a divine geometer.
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