Newton's annus mirabilis myth

[Tessa K]

This is a few months old but I just came across it. I don't know much about Neil deGrasse Tyson - what's his general standing in the science world?

Almost inevitably Newton’s so-called Annus mirabilis has become a social media meme during the current pandemic and the resulting quarantine. Not surprisingly Neil deGrasse Tyson has once again led the charge with the following on Twitter:

When Isaac Newton stayed at home to avoid the 1665 plague, he discovered the laws of gravity, optics, and he invented calculus.

Unfortunately for NdGT and all the others, who have followed his lead in posting variants, both positive and negative, the Annus mirabilis is actually a myth.
...
Neil deGrasse Tyson has form when it comes to making grand false statements about #histSTM, this is by no means the first time that he has spread the myth of Newton’s Annus mirabilis.

https://thonyc.wordpress.com/2020/04/15 ... hologicus/

[warumich]

Not sure about NdGT directly, but historians of science generally have a very dim view of the historical pronouncements of scientists and science popularisers, especially those that have a professional interest in talking up how great science is. Their history tends to be analogous to the national histories propagated by patriots and nationalists. So his standing within the science world would not really affect my skepticism here, the most brilliant scientist won't necessarily know anything about history, and that's before we take into consideration that it is in their professional interest to big up science. Given NdGT's remarks on philosophy of science, I wouldn't hold my breath about his history of science being too accurate. In that though he's in great company

As for Newton, I don't know. Worth keeping in mind that what we would consider his annus mirabilis, even if it existed, wouldn't necessarily be his own - among the works that he was most proud of, iirc, is this

[Gfamily]

There was the time when NdGT tweeted "FYI: An airplane whose engine fails is a glider. A helicopter whose engine fails is a brick."
https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/623117641507557376

Then seemed to be upset when people pointed out that IABMCTT

" People invested more energy declaring I was wrong than seeing how I could be right."
https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/873912458876006401

[Tessa K]

There was the time when NdGT tweeted "FYI: An airplane whose engine fails is a glider. A helicopter whose engine fails is a brick."
https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/623117641507557376

Then seemed to be upset when people pointed out that IABMCTT

" People invested more energy declaring I was wrong than seeing how I could be right."
https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/873912458876006401

Blimey, that's a first. I put IABMCTT into Google to find out what it means and it came up with NO RESULTS.

[Bird on a Fire]

"Anus mirabilis"

That is all

[Bird on a Fire]

You say Newton's, I prefer a few pounds per square inch

[Gfamily]

Blimey, that's a first. I put IABMCTT into Google to find out what it means and it came up with NO RESULTS.

Ah, what I find interesting is that when I google it the #2 result is a tweet by a member of this parish.

[Tessa K]

"Anus mirabilis"

That is all

I knew someone would go there. I'm just glad it wasn't me (this time).

Newton can bugger off anyway with his 'discoveries', I've done some embroidery during lockdown that I'm pretty happy with.

[discovolante]

"Anus mirabilis"

That is all

I knew someone would go there. I'm just glad it wasn't me (this time).

Newton can bugger off anyway with his 'discoveries', I've done some embroidery during lockdown that I'm pretty happy with.

'Shakespeare wrote King Lear during quarantine' 'Isaac Newton invented gravity during lockdown' etc can be fairly simply reduced to 'a man did his job'.

[Bird on a Fire]

I do think it's potentially a bit interesting that lockdown/personal isolation can help productivity, as long as you have zero competing responsibilities affected by those circumstances.

It seems to suggest that there's an unavoidable tradeoff between contributing in the here-and-now and producing works for posterity. Which to me suggests that to get more Ani Mirabiles from across the board we need to find ways to support each other, such that the here-and-now leaves people with energy and space to produce the big, multi-season arc ideas of human history.

[Boustrophedon]

And don't forget inventing the cat flap.

[dyqik]

And don't forget inventing the cat flap.

That was just a rip off of Da Vinci's toilet seat invention.

[El Pollo Diablo]

Let's be honest - given the impact of lockdown on women in standard hetero family homes, ie to have to do more childcare, teaching, cooking, planning, general emotional labour AND hold down jobs at the same time where they're not on furlough¹, the missing suffix of "lockdown is good for productivity!" is "...if you're a man."

Kind of fits with the whole genius myth anyway, though.



¹

[Tessa K]

Let's be honest - given the impact of lockdown on women in standard hetero family homes, ie to have to do more childcare, teaching, cooking, planning, general emotional labour AND hold down jobs at the same time where they're not on furlough¹, the missing suffix of "lockdown is good for productivity!" is "...if you're a man."

Kind of fits with the whole genius myth anyway, though.

¹

I was going to say something similar. Behind every successful man is a woman. Or a lot of servants. Alternatively, be an old fashioned academic with every need catered for by living in college. Or a monk. If you are female, be an independently wealthy spinster.

[Grumble]

Let's be honest - given the impact of lockdown on women in standard hetero family homes, ie to have to do more childcare, teaching, cooking, planning, general emotional labour AND hold down jobs at the same time where they're not on furlough¹, the missing suffix of "lockdown is good for productivity!" is "...if you're a man."

Kind of fits with the whole genius myth anyway, though.

¹

I was going to say something similar. Behind every successful man is a woman. Or a lot of servants. Alternatively, be an old fashioned academic with every need catered for by living in college. Or a monk. If you are female, be an independently wealthy spinster.

Or be married to a supportive husband but your name might not make it into the history books.

[Fishnut]

I really recommend Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner? by Katrine Marçal which discusses how overlooked 'women's work' (often also classified as 'unpaid work' is in economics. It's been a while since I read it but it's a really fascinating examination of the history of economics and how women's contributions to the economy are largely ignored, resulting in them being considered less important even though they are often the backbone of what keeps the economy working.

[Tessa K]

Let's be honest - given the impact of lockdown on women in standard hetero family homes, ie to have to do more childcare, teaching, cooking, planning, general emotional labour AND hold down jobs at the same time where they're not on furlough¹, the missing suffix of "lockdown is good for productivity!" is "...if you're a man."

Kind of fits with the whole genius myth anyway, though.

¹

I was going to say something similar. Behind every successful man is a woman. Or a lot of servants. Alternatively, be an old fashioned academic with every need catered for by living in college. Or a monk. If you are female, be an independently wealthy spinster.

Or be married to a supportive husband but your name might not make it into the history books.

But his will, especially in centuries past.

I've been struck following Women's Art on Twitter just how many very talented women artists' work was ascribed to their male family members or partners, not just in the 17th/18th century but even late 19th. Or they were accepted and successful in their time but later art 'experts' couldn't believe a woman had done such work. Even when women get joint credit with a husband in many fields, it's widely assumed she was more of a handmaiden than an equal partner.

Oh, and now Dawkins is repeating the Newton Annus Mirabilis myth on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/paulcoxon/status/13 ... 00/photo/1

[Tessa K]

Oh, and now Dawkins is repeating the Newton Annus Mirabilis myth on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/paulcoxon/status/13 ... 00/photo/1

That link no longer works. This does

https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins/stat ... 3197561856

[Gfamily]

This is a few months old but I just came across it. I don't know much about Neil deGrasse Tyson - what's his general standing in the science world?

Almost inevitably Newton’s so-called Annus mirabilis has become a social media meme during the current pandemic and the resulting quarantine. Not surprisingly Neil deGrasse Tyson has once again led the charge with the following on Twitter:

When Isaac Newton stayed at home to avoid the 1665 plague, he discovered the laws of gravity, optics, and he invented calculus.

Unfortunately for NdGT and all the others, who have followed his lead in posting variants, both positive and negative, the Annus mirabilis is actually a myth.
...
Neil deGrasse Tyson has form when it comes to making grand false statements about #histSTM, this is by no means the first time that he has spread the myth of Newton’s Annus mirabilis.

https://thonyc.wordpress.com/2020/04/15 ... hologicus/

That's a really useful link , thanks,
I'm giving a Zoom talk on Edmond Halley::more than just the comet man on Friday, so there's some useful background info there - and it's quite likely that someone will mention the 'annus mirabilis'

[shpalman]

I casually mentioned that Newton was an a..eh.le during the lectures I was giving online to the first years last term; I think this would have been quite early in the lockdown before that myth started to go around. Next year I'll be sure to mention it, and its debunking.

[Bird on a Fire]

I casually mentioned that Newton was an a..eh.le anus horibilis during the lectures I was giving online to the first years last term; I think this would have been quite early in the lockdown before that myth started to go around. Next year I'll be sure to mention it, and its debunking.

FTFY

[Grumble]

I casually mentioned that Newton was an a..eh.le during the lectures I was giving online to the first years last term; I think this would have been quite early in the lockdown before that myth started to go around. Next year I'll be sure to mention it, and its debunking.

Have you read The Last Sorcerer?

[Tessa K]

I casually mentioned that Newton was an a..eh.le during the lectures I was giving online to the first years last term; I think this would have been quite early in the lockdown before that myth started to go around. Next year I'll be sure to mention it, and its debunking.

Have you read The Last Sorcerer?

Good blurb for this book:

And, most of all, who was this man who, historians tell us, remained a virgin all his life and who seemed to be an argumentative ego maniac on the one hand and a kindly old man on the other?

Perhaps if he'd invented an early version of a robot girlfriend* he'd have been less grumpy.


*or boyfriend, who knows?

[bmforre]

Perhaps if he'd invented an early version of a robot girlfriend* he'd have been less grumpy.

*or boyfriend, who knows?

Did they have access to suitable rubber and latex materials in England at that time?
I doubt it.

[Bird on a Fire]

I think they mostly used sheep's intestines for that sort of thing.