Isaac newton gay
Home / gay topics / Isaac newton gay
If you are looking for how to be a good ally, here's a good article about that.
Isaac Newton (1643–1727)
Newton is most famous for developing the theory of gravity and his laws of motion. But what you might not know is that this brilliant mind lived in a society that had some pretty strict views on ahem unconventional relationships.
Back then, same-sex desire and relationships were not exactly celebrated.
From the halls of Trinity College, Cambridge, where he made groundbreaking discoveries, to the prestigious Royal Society of London, where he shared his scientific brilliance, we'll uncover the secrets and influences that fueled his remarkable intellect.
Join us as we delve into Newton's personal life, exploring the dynamics with his contemporaries, including his close friend and fellow scientist Nicolas Fatio de Duillier, and the influence of the renowned philosopher John Locke, whose ideas resonated deeply with Newton's own inquisitive mind.
Our exploration will also shed light on the social and cultural norms of 17th-century England, delving into the complexities of homosexuality and gender identity during Newton's time.
He was married to his wife, Edna, from 1925 until his death, and the two were prominent members of their community in Connecticut.
Rachel Carson (1907–1964)
Carson was an ecologist, marine biologist and writer. John Locke: The Philosophical Guide
John Locke, the renowned English philosopher, had a profound influence on Newton's thinking.
Isaac Newton: The Mastermind
At the heart of our story is Isaac Newton, a brilliant mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author. If you’re looking for more resources, you can look at the Out to Innovate site for LGBTQ+ people in STEM. Among its members, he counted renowned scientists like Robert Boyle and Edmond Halley, who became close friends and supporters.
He used his position as a professor at Stanford University to not just do neuroscience research but to also advocate for gender equality: Having experienced society as a woman and a man, he knew firsthand the inequalities that existed. He later confessed to Locke that during this crisis, ‘when one told me you were sickly ...
As a student, Newton immersed himself in the study of mathematics, optics, and natural philosophy, laying the groundwork for his groundbreaking discoveries.
Royal Society of London: A Catalyst for Scientific Collaboration
In 1672, Newton became a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, a prestigious organization that played a pivotal role in the advancement of science.
Locke's empiricist approach to knowledge, emphasizing the importance of observation and experience, resonated deeply with Newton's scientific methods. These soften the image of an unsmiling, self-absorbed, Puritan Newton by revealing that as an undergraduate he did get out once in a while, to the tavern and the bowling green, and even occasionally played cards (and lost).
It's a reminder that progress is not always linear and that the fight for equality is an ongoing journey.
June is Pride Month, which commemorates the Stonewall riots of 1969, when patrons of a gay bar, The Stonewall Inn, in New York City fought back against a police raid. It was a lonely and isolating time for many.
Newton's Secret
Despite the social and legal challenges, there's evidence that suggests Newton may have been ahem fond of the gentlemen.
The society provided a platform for Newton to share his ideas with fellow intellectuals, engage in lively debates, and collaborate on cutting-edge research. With its towering spires and serene courtyards, the college fostered an environment ripe for academic exploration. It's important to learn about the contributions LGBTQ+ people have long been making.
He was assigned female at birth and became one of the first known people to have gender-reassignment surgery, when he had a hysterectomy in 1917. Yet there are also hints of the rages and dark depressions that would continue to blight his adult life: ‘Striking many’; ‘Punching my sister’; ‘Wishing death and hoping it to some’.
Nothing else quite so revealingly personal as this survives, but much can be read between the lines of the other private notebooks Newton kept as a schoolboy and undergraduate.
In the Pierpont Morgan Notebook, begun probably in 1659 (two years before Newton went to Cambridge), there are numerous series of words arranged, under a number of subject headings, in quasi-alphabetical order.
As we delve deeper into Newton's life and times, we unveil the complex interplay between scientific brilliance and the events that shaped the world around him.
Isaac Newton's Hidden Life: Unveiling the Enigma of Same-Sex Desire in 17th-Century England
Concepts: Homosexuality, Same-Sex Relationships, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Closeting
In the annals of scientific history, Sir Isaac Newton stands as a towering figure, renowned for his groundbreaking discoveries that revolutionized our understanding of the universe.
The misdemeanours Newton confessed are far less racy than those recorded in Samuel Pepys’s much more famous and substantial diary, but they obviously weighed heavily on him, and he adopted the same strategy as Pepys of writing in shorthand as a sort of code (though in both cases it is a relatively simple code to crack).
It says much about the sternly puritanical cast of Newton’s upbringing that many years after the event he still felt guilty about several minor instances of Sabbath-breaking, including ‘Squirting water on Thy day’ and ‘Making pies on Sunday night’.
Though we are lucky to have a substantial collection of second- and third-hand accounts of Newton’s early years (see the documents in Newton as Seen by Others), only a very few manuscripts in his own hand, dating from his boyhood and undergraduate years, give a more direct insight into his personal world.
By far the most important of these is the list Newton wrote out in 1662 of all the sins he could remember having committed, which he kept up-to-date for an uncertain but fairly short period thereafter (in the Fitzwilliam Notebook).
By unraveling this enigma, we gain a deeper insight into the enigmatic genius who shaped our understanding of the universe.
Newton's Secret Vault: Unlocking His Legacy Through Documents
Welcome, curious minds! Today, we're embarking on a fascinating journey into the depths of Isaac Newton's life, where we'll decipher ancient documents to uncover his hidden secrets.
The fear of persecution forced many individuals to live their lives in secret, closeting their true desires and identities.
A Closeted Genius: Newton's Secret Affairs
While Newton's sexual orientation has been debated for centuries, compelling evidence suggests that he may have been homosexual.