The Dark Side of Isaac Newton: Science's Greatest Fraud?

by Nick Kollerstrom

Isaac Newton was accorded a semi-divine status in the 18th and 19th centuries, whereby his image linked together religion and science. The real human being behind the demi-god image has tended to be lost. He was a person who took credit from others, and crushed the reputations of those to whom he owed most. This most brilliant of mathematicians could alas be devious, deceptive and duplicitous. This work doesn't go looking at unpublished alchemical musings as is nowadays fashionable, rather it sticks to the historical record. At the time when the new science was born, we scrutinize the ways in which he failed to discover the law of gravity or invent calculus. What exactly did Leibniz mean by describing him as 'a mind neither fair nor honest'? Why did Robert Hooke describe him as 'the veriest knave in all the house' and why was the astronomer Flamsteed calling him SIN (Sir Isaac Newton)?We are here concerned to give him credit for what he did discover, which may not be quite what you had been told. This book redefines the genius of Isaac Newton, but without the heavily mythologised baggage of a bygone era. He believed in one God, one law and one bank.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

Published February 28, 2019

About the author

Also writes under the name Nicholas Kollerstrom

Reviews

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who is unlikely to just accept what I'm told I often seek out different points-of-view on a topic and research quite extensively before making a decision as to where I stand on a particular issue, so when I came across this alternative history of one of the most revered individuals showing a darker, less pleasant side I know that I'm going to enjoy it!

Widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time, Sir Isaac Newton appears to have been very modest about his discoveries and his advancement of mathematics, science and theology as illustrated by a comment contained in a letter he wrote to Robert Hooke in February 1676 - "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." There is no doubt that Newton contributed to many different fields and whether the accusations contained in this book are accurate or not he was clearly a knowledgeable person. We must also consider the possibility that people wish to discredit him for their own personal gain which would sadden me if true. However, as far as I can see the contents of the book have come from information already established as genuine and it doesn't come across as though the author just holds a grudge as is so often the case in these types of books. That said, the author is known for conspiracism on a variety of topics - something which very much fascinates me.

All in all, this comes across as a relatively reliable study of the life of Newton and is well written, intriguing and solidly structured.

Many thanks to Pen & Sword History for an ARC.

[George1st · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have now read several historic and biographical books published by Pen & Sword and I have always found them to be well written and informative. They may well introduce you to subjects and figures of the past that you may have not been previously familiar with by authors not previously encountered which can if desired lead to further reading. This was certainly the case with Nicholas Kollerstrom's less than reverential appraisal of the life, work and actual achievements of Sir Isaac Newton who has ascertained an iconic and according to the author an overestimated and false mythologised status. The book not only depicts Newton's rather unsympathetic character (the times he was recorded as laughing throughout his life could apparently be counted on one hand) but more seriously Kollerstrom contends that he often acted traitorously and duplicitously being prepared to partake in acts of plagiarism, falsification of correspondence and the non acknowledgment and attributation in his work of others data and findings. Even when this was given he could remove it from his work in subsequent editions.

Newton in his lifetime aim of ensuring his own unchallenged preeminence ruthlessly and deviously was prepared to denigrate and ultimately try to crush the reputations of some of his leading contemporaries who he should have been venerating. Individual chapters are devoted to the three main targets of his calumny being Robert Hooke, John Flamsteed and Gottfried Leibniz. Newton it is alleged was quite prepared to doctor correspondence, steal others ideas and in the case of Flamsteed ensure the delay and suppression of his published work. In this he was assisted by his acolytes at the all powerful Royal Society. A continuing theme of the book is how the demi-god like image of Newton was perpetuated by his subsequent biographers and scientific historians. Not unsurprisingly the apple anecdote seems unlikely to be factual not appearing in fact in print until William Stukeley's biography, “Memoirs of Sir Isaac Newton’s Life,” published in 1752 well after Newton's death.

It must be said that the central premise of the book that Newton was somewhat of a fraud goes against the accepted current view of him. He is for example one of the leading candidates to appear on the new 50 pound note. So when reading this book or any other that takes a revisionist position a big subliminal warning sign is ever present for ultimately it is the author who selects and constructs the material to validate their position. However it is then up to the reader to check other sources to come to their own conclusion.

Although this was often a challenging read and I found myself continually rereading several of the scientific theories and calculus's this is nevertheless very well written and still quite accessible for the general reader. If you like a thought provoking book that will often challenge you then I can recommend this.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So…far from being the genius I’ve always been led to believe, Isaac Newton was apparently “devious, deceptive and duplicitous.” Or as Leibniz put it “neither fair nor honest.” Or Hooke “the veriest knave in all the house.” No wonder he didn’t have any friends. This book sets out to debunk everything I thought I knew about Newton and he certainly doesn’t come out well from the attempt. I don’t have the knowledge to judge whether Newton actually was as bad as this biography paints him, but the account certainly makes for some interesting reading – at times. It also makes for some tedious reading at times, especially as I couldn’t make head or tail of the maths and science. I enjoyed the more personal aspects but not the scientific ones. My fault rather than the book’s perhaps, but it meant the book was only a partial success for me. But it succeeded in making me question Newton’s fame, and that surely was the intention.

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing look at an interesting subject

I found this book to be more of a character assassination than informative. I also found the language overly scholarly with the exception of some petty swipes and some admittedly well-placed sarcasm. The science wasn’t well-explained and I didn’t feel much effort was made to engage me. I had previously read “Out of the Shadow of a Giant: Hooke, Halley, and the Birth of Science” by John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin, that broadly covered the same information, and I enjoyed that book tremendously. Based on how good that book was, I stopped reading “The dark side of Isaac Newton” about halfway through, knowing that a much more enjoyable book on the subject had already been written. Indeed, if you are interested in this subject area I strongly recommend the book by Gribbin and Gribbin.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

[Cindy Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes the writing is a bit dense, but the story is fascinating. HIstory is a wiggly thing, and shifts over time. It has been a tradition to glorify the achievements of someone over some of their less wonderful qualities. This is very much the case with Newton; he is been credited with all sorts of things that may, in fact, have not been his at all. And worse, he manipulated many situations to his benefit, and not the benefit of science. Kind of the JR Ewing of 17th century science.

While there is no denying his influence and impact, it is truly humanizing to see how devious, dishonest and venal he could be at the same time. As despicable as he could be, his ambition being his primary driver, his drive no doubt dragged science along with him, inspiring energetic progress.

The history of science is so much richer with the added dimensions of personality and moral corruption, this book adds quite a bit to this.

[Justin Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

4/10 - some bits about newton were interesting but could have been explained a bit better and been a little less repetitive