[FoRK] Faith and/or Science - Newton et al

[Jeff Bone]

On Nov 28, 2007, at 3:28 PM, Jeff Bone wrote:

> On Nov 28, 2007, at 3:09 PM, Dr. Ernie Prabhakar wrote:
>
>> Oh wait, he obviously doesn't count as a "real" scientist by the  
>> usual standards of FoRk, so obviously he has nothing to teach you...
>
> BECAUSE Newton didn't have the benefit of said epistemological  
> method, he managed to produce an awful lot of complete crap

BTW, it's worth expanding on this point a bit.  By accounts Newton  
penned in excess of a *million words* on alchemical topics, far more  
work product than was devoted to his retroactively so-called  
"scientific" works.  Indeed he was, and must be understood as, first  
and foremost an "alchemist."  This is a tragedy.  Newton was clearly  
one of the brightest minds humanity has thus far produced;  yet for  
lack of a fully developed epistemological framework (i.e., the  
scientific method) and blighted by non-rational, super-natural,  
superstitious, quasi-physical beliefs, the man managed to waste most  
of his productive career on "garbage."


jb