Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Toto · 10-19-2007, 12:02 PM

This lecture

Isaac Newton, Solomon's Kingdom, and the Origins of Civilization by Jed Buchwald

seems like it would fit in to some recent discussions here:

Quote:

Isaac Newton renovated the foundations of mathematics, optics, and mechanics in the 17th century. He also attempted to overturn the history of civilization. Newton, convinced that Egyptians and Greeks studied at the feet of ancient Hebrews, sought to prove that Solomon's kingdom set the pattern for organized social life. Newton reconstructed the plan of Solomon's temple. He canvassed ancient texts for words to transform into supporting evidence, and deployed the earliest known procedures for handling discrepant data.

Buchwald will discuss the complicated interaction between Newton's unorthodox religious ideas and his experimental science methods, and how sophisticated techniques produce error when data is "massaged" to fit conviction.

The lecture will be digitized and available for viewing on the web after a week or two, and will be available for purchase as a DVD.

Buchwald was a student of Kuhn's as an undergraduate and the recipient of a MacArthur grant. He is currently working on a book on this subject.

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