The Pioneers Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Pioneers - Term Paper Example This paper is a critical analysis of contributions of Isaac Newton and Aristotle, some of the most distinguished scientific pioneers in the history of humanity. Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton, a distinguished English philosopher is considered as the most creative and prominent scientific theorist of all times. His most remarkable contribution in mathematical and scientific fields includes the discovery of infinitesimal calculus and pioneering theories in the study of light and color. Moreover, Isaac Newton revolutionalized physical science by the discovery of the three laws of motion and the law of gravitational pull (Westfall, 1971). His contribution in science and mathematics resulted to development of classical mechanics, a very influential scientific discipline. Though Isaac Newton is considered to be one of the most original thinkers, he collaborated the works and ideas of other scientists in the 17 century and before such as Kepler, Galileo, Descartes and Copernicus among others . Isaac Newton asserted this fact by acknowledging in one of his most famous quote that if he had seen further, it was by standing on the shoulders of giants (Alexandre, 1965). He distinguished himself as a brilliant physicist, astronomer, mathematician, alchemist and as a natural philosopher. According to Westfall (1971), Isaac Newton was born in January 4, 1643 to Hannah Ayscough and Isaac Newton. His actual place of birth was at Woolsthorpe, a rural town in Lincolnshire County. During his birth, the Gregorian calendar was not used in England then and hence his birth date was recorded using the Julian calendar as 25 December 1642. The Gregorian calendar, which is the modern style, was adopted in 1752 in England and it was ten days ahead of the Julian style (Westfall, 1971). Isaac Newton was born prematurely and his father had died three months prior to his birth. Later, his mother Hannah remarried when the boy was just three years old, an incident that most Newtonian biographers c onsider as traumatic to his childhood and adulthood. Soon after his mother remarried, Isaac Newton was left under the care of his maternal grandmother Margery Asycough (Westfall, 1971). Isaac Newton was separated from his mother until 1653, when she returned to her motherland after the death of her second husband. He enrolled at King’s school after refusing her mothers attempt of dropping him out of school to train him become a farmer. Isaac Newton’s early academic life was lackluster, but he later, he discovered his abilities after joining Cambridge University from Woolsthorpe in 1661 (Hall, 1980). Cambridge University is a renowned institution of higher learning but at the time of Isaac Newton admission, the centre had not yet grasped emerging scientific changes in its curriculum (Hall, 1980). In this regard, Ackrill (1981) noted that the curriculum was based on ancient works of Aristotle and other classical authors. In this respect, most biographers affirm that Isaa c Newton’s undergraduate studies involved a lot of Aristotle, resulting to his undistinguishable academic performance. However during this time, Isaac Newton concentrated and mustered the works of