Natural Laws Are Lawful (naturally)

Natural Laws Are Lawful (Naturally)

By Maverick.214 of The U.H. System

Originally submitted 04 FEB 2003

File Reference: World History Studies/Political Science

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It's difficult for most people to believe that Sir Isaac Newton was considered to be the poorest student in grammar school by his instructors, but the fact of the matter is by all historical accounts that he was no cause celebre at an early age. He fortunately made scholastic change a top priority during which he later embarked on a quest to understand the world he lived in.

Why does an apple fall to the ground? What is light and how is it transmitted? What keeps the moon in orbit of the earth, and the planets in orbit of the sun?

All the basic questions that were readily available to mankind yet so elusive and complexingly simple were answered by Newton with proof positive. Remember, he did this without an Apple...a Sony Playstation...a calculator; sans technologique!

The idea behind natural laws, Newton professed, was cause and explanation. Thus, he began with empiricial observations and mathematical logic to illustrate effects, and furthermore to explain said effects. Natural laws have the following characteristics: testability, attributes that are meaningful on a quantative scale, and universal.

Beyond scientific meanings and mathematical formulae, the significance of Newton's natural laws idea is apparent in how we continue viewing the world, today. Natural laws are the central to modern science. In his lifetime's work, Newton presented an alternative to merely viewing the world as round...or flat as the Catholic Church insisted for many, many, many years.

He changed the common perception of (our) world which was previously based on religious doctrine into a clear snapshot focused on advanced scientific inquiry. A clearer understanding and explanation of the world empowered people with the ability to reason.

It was not sin to break away from archaic and unfounded Church explanations, enlightened thinkers argued in their works, research, plays, and literature. Reasoning did not veto or cancel a person's spirituality. Yet despite mounting secular tensions