Re: Where would we be without these important patents?


"Richard Tanzer" <mr_reznat_@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Xns978B5904FFA25mrreznatyahoocom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I in no way wish to disparage the brilliant work of Isaac Newton, but it
is not clear that the publication of Principia in English in 1729
dramatically accelerated technological development.

Take a look at the "Dateline for Thermodynamics" at
http://www.physics.northwestern.edu/Phyx103/web/thermo-dateline.html .
It is clear that thermodynamics, mechanics, and hydraulics were being
developed before and after Newton's time. A timeline of optics,
astronomy and celestial mechanics would be similar - important work was
done before and after.

[snip]

The _conceptual_ point is that Newton's work is central to science and the
Enlightenment, because it emphasized the notion of _universal laws_.

Richard


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