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Ask HN: How Newton did so much without tea or coffee?
How did Newton, lacking the stimulants that fueled the productivity of so many later great minds—from caffeine-driven mathematicians to nicotine-powered physicists—maintain the relentless intensity required to reshape mathematics and physics?
- bigyabai 10mo agoDivine motivation is one possibility. A lot of his later life was particularly... driven, largely into secret societies and meaningless gematria studies.
- razodactyl 10mo agoMore flow-states, less distractions, pure intellectual drive to know the unknown. You're all still capable of it.
- JojoFatsani 10mo agoHe didn’t have social media distracting him
- austin-cheney 10mo agoFor somebody substantially more productive checkout Leonhard Euler. Pronounced (oiler). * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonhard_Euler https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonhard_Euler * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtkX18dU2_U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtkX18dU2_U I don't know if he had access to, or consumed, tea or coffee. He lost his eye sight due to a progressive illness and the more his vision declined the more productive he became. He is commonly considered the most accomplished mathematician in human history.
- dangus 10mo agoIsn’t caffeine pretty much proven to be a non-factor for daily consumers? Is it proven that he didn’t consume tea or coffee? Both were available in his time. England had coffee houses in the 1600s. Ever heard of the East India Conpany? They traded tea. Besides that, you really think humans didn’t have awareness of various stimulant drugs at that point? Did you read his Wikipedia page? I mean, the guy never got married, he had time on his hands. His Wikipedia page also says that he prioritized work over his own well-being.
- smallerize 10mo agoCaffeine makes you feel more alert, but it's probably shrinking your working memory. Try being creative without it, for me it's much easier.
- seemaze 10mo agoYou may find some insight into his methods and motives in the biography 'Issac Newton' by James Gleick. It's a wonderful and quick read. https://inkwellmanagement.com/books/isaac-newton https://inkwellmanagement.com/books/isaac-newton