When did science catch the imagination of Newton? In one of his interviews Isaac Newton is reported to have said:
‘In the summer of 1663 I felt that I must work in the field of science. I was a young student in the Trinity College of Cambridge University. I bought a book on astrology in Sturbridge Midsummer Festival. In that book there were astrological figures and graphics that were beyond my comprehension and were frightening. That impractical and horrible astrology book pushed me towards Geometry and Calculus (to gain meaningful knowledge). Then, I deeply studied books written by Euchid-Frans-Van-Schooten and Rene Descartes. The study revealed to me the arrogance, emptiness and absurdity of astrology. I realized astrology was not based on facts and I completely lost trust in deceitful analysis and calculations of astrology.
Newton’s friend Abraham-De-Moivre also confirmed his disenchantment with astrology. It appears that meaninglessness of astrology pushed Newton towards science as it offered the chance to do something meaningful based on the facts and the truth. He wanted to define the working of the universe logically and scientifically.
