3 ms·

How in the hell it took this long for Newton's "unpublished" notes to be unveiled? I mean the guy was one of the most famous scientist/mathematician of all time

How in the hell it took this long for Newton's "unpublished" notes to be unveiled? I mean the guy was one of the most famous scientist/mathematician of all time. I can justify the reluctance out of religious reasons(?) in 1600 or up until like 1800, but after that, after he has been long dead, what excuse could possibly be to not publish ALL of his works? Is it because someone just bought them all and kept it for himself? Any history expert want to chime in?

acqq 6y ago
From the site which is selling it: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/english-literature-history-science-childrens-books-and-illustrations/newton-autograph-mansucript-notes-on-the-great https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/english-literat... Newton "left behind vast manuscript writings on biblical exegesis and other theological subjects, presumably in the hope that his secret knowledge would reach a select and receptive readership in future generations. The true range of Newton's writings has only become apparent remarkably recently. Such was Newton's reputation as the exemplar of the Enlightenment scientist that for generations there was little willingness to publish material that might seem to undermine that status. It was only with the sale of Newton's papers by the Earl of Portsmouth in these rooms in 1936 that the scale of his interest in alchemy, in particular, became generally recognised, and it is even more recently that the extent of his theological writing has been acknowledged." The pages now being on sale "are likely to have been part of a larger lot sold in the 1936 auction of the Newton papers, but they cannot be positively identified in the sale catalogue." You can browse a lot (or all?) of papers which were bought then and ended in the National Library of Israel: https://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLI/English/collections/Humanities/newton/Pages/default.aspx https://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLI/English/collections/Humanit... "The manuscripts found at the National Library are from the collection of Abraham Shalom Yehuda (1877-1951), an expert in Middle Eastern affairs. Professor Yehuda purchased the manuscripts at a public auction at Sotheby’s of London in 1936. Other manuscripts in the collection, dealing mostly with the topic of alchemy, were purchased by the well-known economist, John Maynard Keynes, and are located at King’s College in Cambridge University." Also, Isaac Newton’s Works, University of Oxford, (mostly or all?) donated by Keynes, should be somewhere here, among the works from other collections: http://www.newtonproject.ox.ac.uk/texts/newtons-works/all http://www.newtonproject.ox.ac.uk/texts/newtons-works/all and the background behind that: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsnr.1952.0006 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsnr.1952.000... In "1872" "the purely scientific papers were generously given to the University of Cambridge." (Note: Newton studied there). "The event which stimulated Keynes to his greatest effort in bookcollecting was the dispersal at Sotheby’s on 13 and 14 July 1936 of the Newton papers of Viscount Lymington, to whom they had descended from Catherine Conduitt, Viscountess Lymington, Newton’s great-niece. The relentless pressure of death-duties made it necessary to sell this great collection."
arikrak 6y ago
Once reason it was initially locked away was that it contained heresies, e.g. he denied the Christian Trinity. After that people forgot about it, it's hard to go through so many papers...

acqq 6y ago

From the site which is selling it: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/english-literature-history-science-childrens-books-and-illustrations/newton-autograph-mansucript-notes-on-the-great https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/english-literat... Newton "left behind vast manuscript writings on biblical exegesis and other theological subjects, presumably in the hope that his secret knowledge would reach a select and receptive readership in future generations. The true range of Newton's writings has only become apparent remarkably recently. Such was Newton's reputation as the exemplar of the Enlightenment scientist that for generations there was little willingness to publish material that might seem to undermine that status. It was only with the sale of Newton's papers by the Earl of Portsmouth in these rooms in 1936 that the scale of his interest in alchemy, in particular, became generally recognised, and it is even more recently that the extent of his theological writing has been acknowledged." The pages now being on sale "are likely to have been part of a larger lot sold in the 1936 auction of the Newton papers, but they cannot be positively identified in the sale catalogue." You can browse a lot (or all?) of papers which were bought then and ended in the National Library of Israel: https://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLI/English/collections/Humanities/newton/Pages/default.aspx https://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLI/English/collections/Humanit... "The manuscripts found at the National Library are from the collection of Abraham Shalom Yehuda (1877-1951), an expert in Middle Eastern affairs. Professor Yehuda purchased the manuscripts at a public auction at Sotheby’s of London in 1936. Other manuscripts in the collection, dealing mostly with the topic of alchemy, were purchased by the well-known economist, John Maynard Keynes, and are located at King’s College in Cambridge University." Also, Isaac Newton’s Works, University of Oxford, (mostly or all?) donated by Keynes, should be somewhere here, among the works from other collections: http://www.newtonproject.ox.ac.uk/texts/newtons-works/all http://www.newtonproject.ox.ac.uk/texts/newtons-works/all and the background behind that: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsnr.1952.0006 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsnr.1952.000... In "1872" "the purely scientific papers were generously given to the University of Cambridge." (Note: Newton studied there). "The event which stimulated Keynes to his greatest effort in bookcollecting was the dispersal at Sotheby’s on 13 and 14 July 1936 of the Newton papers of Viscount Lymington, to whom they had descended from Catherine Conduitt, Viscountess Lymington, Newton’s great-niece. The relentless pressure of death-duties made it necessary to sell this great collection."

arikrak 6y ago

Once reason it was initially locked away was that it contained heresies, e.g. he denied the Christian Trinity. After that people forgot about it, it's hard to go through so many papers...