While reading a magazine on management education, i came
across an article that featured interesting moments from
great scientists' lives. I found this piece on Newton
very fascinating where, for the first time i read about a
scientist concluding God and Science belonged to the same
side of a coin.
It featured a conversation between Newton and an atheist
friend of Newton. Once he knocked on the door and came in
after Newton had just finished making his solar system
machine(i.e. one of the machines like the one in the
science museum where you crank the handle and the planets
and moons move round). The man saw the machine and said
'how wonderful' and went over to it and started cranking
the handle and the planets went round. As he was doing
this, he asked " who made this?"
Newton, writing on something, looked up and said "nobody did".
The man said "you didn't hear me. Who made the machine"?
Newton replied, " I told you. Nobody did".
He stopped cranking and turned to Newton," Now listen Isaac, this
marvelous machine must have been made by somebody-don't keep
saying that nobody made it".
At which point Newton stopped writing and got up. He looked at
him and said,"Now isn't it amazing. I tell you that nobody
made a simple toy like that and you don't believe me. Yet you
gaze out into the solar system- the intricate marvelous machine
that is around you- and you dare say to me that none made that.
I don't believe it".
As far as the record goes the atheist went away and he was no
longer an atheist. He was suddenly converted to the idea that
God was behind the laws that were found in creation.
No comments:
Post a Comment